SLIDELL — Slidell police said Friday they had arrested a man accused of drowning his girlfriend's 10-week-old puppy, a golden retriever named "Nala."

A woman said she received a text message from Robert Taylor, 19, of Slidell in which he admitted killing the dog at her home while she was away. Taylor and the woman had had recent relationship problems, and Taylor said the dog had bit him, according to police.

When she returned home Thursday, she found the dog in a toilet that had been sealed shut with tape and a large cutting board. It appeared the dog also had previously suffered an eye injury and a broken leg.

Taylor was accused of aggravated cruelty to an animal, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.