A Monroe County man has been charged with animal cruelty after authorities say he hit his dog on the head with a hammer and then stabbed her.

Brandon Cramer, 30, of Saylorsburg, faces four counts of animal cruelty.According to the affidavit filed by Nicole Wilson, a humane law officer with the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals:On Feb. 12, Wilson contacted a woman in response to a call she made about a dog which had been stabbed.The woman said that a few days prior to that she heard a dog owned by Cramer screeching and screaming the morning after Cramer had told her that his dog had given birth to stillborn puppies.She said that after the birth the dog began swelling and bleeding, and that Cramer knew the dog needed to be put down, so in an effort not to disturb his neighbors, Cramed stabbed the dog in an effort to kill it.The woman said that she had assumed the dog was dead until she saw it standing alive that afternoon.Wilson met the woman who took Wilson to a structure between the rental residence and main residence. Inside the fenced area was a loose adult male English Mastiff.A female fawn colored English Mastiff was lying in an outbuilding connected to the residence.Wilson saw the dog could only get up on her front legs. Three of her legs had deep cuts and her feet were cold.The dog couldn’t move around, so Wilson and the woman used the bottom of a vari kennel to move the dog from the structure to Wilson’s vehicle.The dog’s gums were pale and tacky.Wilson took the dog to Creature Comforts Veterinary Service in Saylorsburg.On Feb. 13, Cramer contacted Wilson and admitted that he had stabbed the dog.Cramer said the dog, Michaella, was pregnant, and had given birth to some deceased puppies and one living puppy.He said looking back, he thinks the dog must have been in labor for a few days, and he just didn’t realize it.Cramer believed that a puppy may have been stuck, which is why the others didn’t make it,He said that the dog had begun to swell a great deal after giving birth, especially in its legs.Cramer said that was told by his friend that he should put the dog down, and that he didn’t take it to the vet because of how bad it looked, as its skin had burst from the swelling and it looked so skinny after giving birth.He said that the dog hadn’t looked that skinny prior to giving birth, and that because of how bad it looked, he thought that a vet wouldn’t understand, so he decided to put it down himself.Cramer said he took a hammer and hit the dog in the head with it, but that just caused it to become aggressive toward him, so he grabbed a kitchen knife, which had a blade that was about 3-4 inches in length.He said he attached the knife to a pole because he couldn’t get close to the dog. The dog had gone back into its box and would growl if he got too close.Cramer then said he took the pole with the knife attached and pushed it into the dog’s side chest near its ribs, pulled it out and again pushed it back in. The second stab wound was a little bit further away, but very close to the original stab wound in the dog’s chest.The blade broke, but he didn’t know if it broke off on the dog or outside.After the attack, he said he assumed the dog would die.Wilson spoke with the veterinarian staff who has been treating the dog since its removal.About half of its left ear has fallen off as the tissue was necrotic; three out of its four legs are under treatment for necrotic wounds; and it had suffered a pneumothorax for which a drain was placed on its chest.On the first night, the dog’s heart stopped during treatment, but was able to be restarted after compressions.It is unclear at this time whether there is any long-term brain damage to the dog, which was on oxygen for four days.The dog is guarded, but in stable condition.On Feb. 16, Cramer surrendered the adult male fawn-colored English Mastiff, one adult brindle female English Mastiff, and two four-week old puppies.Cramer also surrendered ownership rights to Michaella, the female English Mastiff removed on Feb. 12.The dogs and puppies, except Michaella, were transported to PSPCA headquarters in Philadelphia,Both adults where diagnosed with ear infections that required medical treatment.Wilson said Cramer willfully and maliciously maimed/tortured the dog by hitting it in the head with a hammer and stabbing it twice at his residence.Wilson said Cramer deprived the dog access to necessary veterinary care for its edema, leg and ear injuries and deprived the other dogs of necessary veterinary care for ear infections.Wilson is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing at 9:45 a.m. March 21, before District Judge Jolana Krawitz.