Kenneth Yasso said he realized his dog was missing and began to search his yard, finding the floor of the dog house covered in blood and more blood beneath his truck. Police said they found the dead dog hidden under debris in the neighbor's yard.

Yasso, 55, said the trail of blood led to a rock wall on the west side of his property and into the entrance of the driveway of the home belonging to his neighbor, Sylvain Pilon.

"I couldn't believe how much blood had for that long of a trail. There was a lot of blood," Yasso said.

Pilon, 46, is charged with violating a temporary restraining order imposed last May to keep him from harassing Yasso, with cruelty to animals and with fourth-degree criminal property damage.

In cross-examination, defense attorney Shelly Miyashiro questioned Yasso about whether he actually had seen Pilon on the property or injuring his dog.

"On the evening of January 28 you did not see Mr. Pilon on your property," she said.

"No," Yasso responded.

"During your testimony you said (Pilon) took your dog, but you didn't see that," Miyashiro said.

"No," Yasso responded.

Yasso said he noticed his dog was missing at about 6:30 a.m. on Jan. 29 from his Uakea Road residence and found the blood trail when he went to check on the animal.

After he called police, he said he was standing at his neighbor's driveway when they arrived. He said he told police he suspected Pilon had entered his property and killed the dog.

Sgt. Garrett Tihada, one of the officers responding to Yasso's call, testified that Pilon voluntarily took him to where the dog had been buried in his yard.

Tihada said that while he was standing at Pilon's driveway, the man pulled up in a car and without being asked, told him: "I'll show you where the dog is."

"I met him at his house and walked down with him to where the dog was," Tihada said.

He said the dog was buried on Pilon's property in two tires and covered in debris.

Malcolm Hickman, the veterinarian who performed a necropsy on the dog later that day, described the animal as a male heeler/pit bull mix, reddish in color and weighing between 35 and 40 pounds.

Hickman testified that he found five stab wounds on the dog's left shoulder, eight on its right shoulder and two on its face.

Although he could not identify the object used in the killing, he said it appeared to be caused by "something sharp." Referring to the two wounds on the dog's face, Hickman said "either one of those blows would've knocked the dog unconscious."

Deputy Prosecutor Marie Kosegarten also introduced court records showing that during a May 2, 2006, court hearing, Pilon was ordered not to harass Yasso. Yasso was granted a three-year restraining order against Pilon.

During the trial Wednesday, Hana Court Clerk Clayton Ogi said that Pilon "understood the terms and conditions of that order."

The nonjury trial for Pilon is scheduled to resume at 2 p.m. today before Judge Douglas Ige.