Former Loveland City Council candidate Christopher Say is accused of striking a neighbor’s dog with a long-handled yard tool in an incident that left the 6-year-old pitbull partially paralyzed, according to a newly released arrest affidavit.
Say, 51, resigned from the Loveland Planning Commission on April 24 after being charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, a Class 4 felony, in Larimer County District Court.
According to the affidavit filed by Loveland Police Detective Justin Atwood on April 20, the incident was initially investigated by NOCO Humane before being referred to Loveland police in January.
A NOCO Humane animal protection and control officer responded to the 1200 block of East Sixth Street on Dec. 26 after reports that a dog named Guarumo had been injured. The dog was visiting a neighboring home directly behind Say’s property in the 1200 block of Seventh Street, separated by a backyard fence.
Witnesses at the scene told the officer they believed Say had struck the dog while it was near the fence line between the two properties.
Surveillance video from a neighboring property appeared to show Say raising a long-handled object over the fence line while the dog could be heard screaming, according to the affidavit. Investigators later seized a blue-handled rake from Say’s property during the execution of a search warrant.
When questioned by officers, Say denied striking the dog and said the animal injured itself after running into a fence, according to the affidavit. Police wrote that Say said he had been using a rake to clean leaves in his backyard and claimed the dog had been aggressive toward him for years.
Veterinary records cited in the affidavit state that Guarumo suffered bruising and abrasions to his stomach, genitals and legs, along with spinal injuries that limited the use of his hind legs. According to Atwood’s report, the dog later underwent spinal surgery and medical bills had exceeded $16,000 as of February.
A veterinarian told investigators the injuries were inconsistent with Say’s explanation that the dog ran into a fence and were more consistent with blunt-force trauma, according to the affidavit.
After Say’s April 23 arrest, prosecutors requested, and a judge granted, a protection order prohibiting Say from contacting the dog’s owners or the owner of the property where the incident occurred. Prosecutors wrote in a separate filing that those individuals had reported harassing behavior following the filing of charges and feared possible retaliation.
Say, a Loveland resident since 2000, served on the city’s Utilities Commission before being appointed to the Planning Commission in April 2025. He also ran for Ward 3 on the Loveland City Council in 2025, finishing third in a four-way race.
More recently, Say briefly entered the race for Colorado House District 51 as a Republican candidate before withdrawing in March.
Under Colorado law, aggravated cruelty to animals is a Class 4 felony punishable by a potential prison sentence of two to six years, along with fines and other penalties. Say has not entered a plea to the charge and is next due in court June 11.
Attempts to reach Say for comment Wednesday, and since his arrest, were unsuccessful.
