Dog pushed from SUV struck by car while chasing after owner

NEW YORK -- A dog on Long Island is lucky to be alive.

The Suffolk County SPCA is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to arrest and conviction of the person who pushed the dog out of a car and abandoned it, reports CBS New York.

On January 18 around 4 p.m., a witness saw an individual open the passenger side door of an older model Jeep Grand Cherokee and a dog jump out, said chief of the Suffolk County, Long Island, SPCA Roy Gross.

The dog then ran to the driver's side and the driver pushed the dog away, Gross said.

The Jeep then drove away with the dog chasing the car, CBS New York reports.

The witness then watched the dog get hit by another car traveling in the opposite direction, Gross said.

"This is just a horrible act of cruelty," he said. "It's like a family member, how do you do something like that?"

The dog suffered minor bruising and will be okay, Gross said.