A Springfield man appeared in court this morning to answer to allegations of child endangering after witnesses claim he was handling a butcher knife in a reckless manner and slashed a pet dog over the weekend.

Robert Martin Smith, 27, was arrested at about 6:30 a.m. Saturday on suspicion of three counts of child endangering. He appeared for an arraignment in Clark County Municipal Court on Monday and his bond was set at $5,000. He elected to represent himself during the preceding.

Authorities said the case began early Saturday morning when Springfield police were called to handle a situation involving a man who had stabbed a dog with a large butcher knife while he was drunk. According to a Springfield arrest report, officers found Smith sleeping on the floor of his bedroom.

The man’s mother said her son came home drunk around 3 a.m. and saw his three children were sleeping on the dining room floor. He insisted his kids go to a bedroom and but once inside the mother said there was blood on the children’s bed.

The mother said the blood was from Smith’s dog, a pit bull, who was in heat.

Witness accounts in the police report stated an angry Smith picked up a large butcher knife from the kitchen, then went back to the bedroom and began “slashing” at the dog, which was still on the bed.

He eventually stabbed the dog in the chest, according to the report.

The children — who were 10, 6 and 5 years old — were sitting on the edge of the bed, close to the dog. The man’s mother said Smith then threw the butcher knife on the floor in an attempt to “make it stick.”

She said the kids were only a few feet away from where the knife landed.

There were other dogs in the house and the mother told police Smith threatened to “cut” their heads off. After Smith passed out, the mother left with the kids and called police.

Smith has not yet been charged with animal cruelty but the Clark County humane society is investigating. Executive Director James Straley said on Monday morning at least one count is likely against him.

The humane society said the pit bull is expected to survive. The agency has taken legal possession of the dog and will adopt it out after she heals.