BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – A Bellows Falls man is facing aggravated animal cruelty charges for striking a dog and burying it in the snow.

Police say 61-year-old Edward Grysko (Griss-KO) told them he beat the 14-year-old Jack Russell Terrier to death Monday and then buried it in a snow bank, out of anger that it had “nipped at somebody.”

But when police retrieved the dog early Tuesday, it was still alive. The dog was treated for shock and head injuries at a veterinary clinic and was released Thursday. He is expected to survive.

Police say the dog’s owner had reported that a man had bludgeoned the dog to death.

Police say Grysko initially denied beating the dog, but later showed officers where he had buried it.