KALAMA, Wash. -- Kalama police arrested a man Thursday who is accused of throwing his family's dog off an overpass.

Police said Ryan Fraser, 18, took an 11-month-old Labrador to a train pedestrian overpass near Elm Street and Interstate 5 earlier this month.

They said he threw the dog from the overpass -- about 37 feet high -- onto the asphalt road below.

Police said Fraser then walked down to the road and kicked the dog repeatedly in the ribs and chest.

The dog suffered a double-ruptured bladder, soft tissue damage, pulmonary contusions and a broken femur, officers said. The dog survived after emergency surgery and the owners' animal insurance helped cover $6,000 in veterinary expenses.

When police originally responded to a report of an injured dog on Jan. 4, they said they weren't sure if the dog had been struck by a car or if it had been dumped off the overpass.

But police said they consulted with veterinary doctors and verified the dog's blunt traumatic injuries were consistent with being thrown from a high place and then being kicked.

Fraser was arrested Thursday. In an interview with officers, he said he couldn't remember what happened, but never denied his involvement, police said.

He had a small amount of marijuana on him at the time of his arrest, officers said.

Fraser was booked into the Cowlitz County jail on suspicion of first-degree animal cruelty.

Images: Dog Thrown From Overpass In Kalama