Woman arrested for abandoning dog with slashed throat near NY cemetery
A woman was arrested after her dog was found with a severe cut to its throat near a New York cemetery.
SPCA Westchester said a 1-year-old tan mixed breed, now named Frankie, was dumped in November near Oakland Cemetery. He had a deeply infected and painful cut when rescuers found him.
Frankie was rushed to a local veterinary hospital for a two-hour-long emergency surgery.
Authorities asked for help idenifying suspect on surveillance video
Animal officials posted a video of a person walking the dog before leaving him alone.
"Without proper veterinary care, this sweet dog would have likely succumbed to his injuries," said SPCA Westchester's CEO Shannon Laukhuf. "Sadly, Frankie also appeared to be neglected as he was extremely underweight."
SPCA Westchester's Humane Law Enforcement Unit and Yonkers police launched a joint investigation into the incident.
'Especially heartbreaking'
Officials said a tip led them to identify 60-year-old Anita Martin as Frankie's owner.
The Yonkers woman was charged with felony aggravated animal cruelty and abandonment.
As for Frankie, he is healing well and will be placed up for adoption soon at the SPCA's Rescue Center in Briarcliff Manor.
"As a dog owner and animal lover, I find these cases to be especially heartbreaking. It never ceases to amaze me the depths of depravity some people fall to when it comes to abusing our four-legged friends," said District Attorney Susan Cacace.
Officials said Martin is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 9.
Aggravated cruelty carries a penalty of up to two years in prison, and abandoning a dog is punishable by up to one year in jail and fines up to $1,000.
Anyone who witnesses or suspects that an animal is being neglected or abused is asked to call the SPCA's Confidential Cruelty Hotline at (914) 941-7797.
