DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. -- According to police, a Dearborn Heights man is in police custody under suspicion of assaulting his neighbor after he poked at his dogs to check if they were alive.

The neighbor said the man’s dogs, a Brittany Spaniel and a German Shorthair were used as hunting dogs and were consistently left without food and water.

The neighbor poked at the dogs to see if they were still alive, when the man came out and assaulted him, according to the neighbor.

The man lives in the area of Joy Road in Dearborn Heights.

According to a Dearborn Heights Veterinary Select employee, the two dogs were brought in dead, Tuesday night.

The employee said, the dogs seemed to have died from lack of water and proper care and they had burn marks on them.

An investigation is underway into the deaths of the animals.