A 50-year-old Salt Lake City man was charged Friday with beating his girlfriend’s dog with a hammer after it ate a steak off his dinner plate.

On Aug. 13, the man set his dinner plate down on the living room table, and the dog, named Temper, ate the steak off the plate, according to court documents filed in 3rd District Court.

When the man moved toward the dog, it bit him. So, according to court documents, the man grabbed a hammer and starting hitting the dog in the head. Neighbors came over to rescue the dog after hearing the man’s girlfriend screaming, “You killed the dog!”

The dog had an open wound on its forehead and blood running from its nostrils, according to court documents. Veterinarians diagnosed the dog with blunt head trauma and performed surgery to fix the “crushing” injury. As of Friday, the dog was alive.

Police later arrived at the home to find blood stains on the sofa, in the kitchen, on the basement stairs and on the woman’s son.

The man was charged with one third-degree felony count of torture of a companion animal. A court date hasn’t been scheduled.