TOWN OF ELLISBURG, New York (WWNY) – Environmental police say they charged a man with cruelty to animals as a felony, after he shot one of his dogs and abandoned a puppy.
According to a statement from the Department of Environmental Conservation, an environmental crimes investigator was called to Skinner Road in the Town of Ellisburg, where residents had found what they believed to be the carcass of a coyote.
Turns out, it was a dog. It had been shot and killed.
The investigator found a small puppy wandering near the area where the carcass of the other dog was found.
An investigation led officers to the owner of both dogs. Officers determined “that the subject had been traveling through Jefferson County to either abandon the dogs or leave them with a friend when the larger of the two dogs jumped into his lap, causing him to crash his vehicle into a guard rail,” according to the release.
“Investigators say the subject then allegedly shot and killed the larger dog out of anger.”
The man charged is not named in the press release, but it does list charges: aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle (misdemeanor), discharging a firearm over a public highway (misdemeanor), abandonment of animals (misdemeanor), and aggravated animal cruelty (felony).
He’s being held in Jefferson County jail and faces a court date in March, according to the release.
The puppy ended up getting a ride to the Jefferson County Animal Control office “for a check up and eventual rehoming.”
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