PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – Police have released surveillance images of the man they said dumped two dogs in the middle of a street in Pembroke Pines last month.
They’re seeking the public’s help as they search for him.
“Earlier in the day [when the dogs were dumped], the gentleman had come to the police department to come leave the dogs with us,” Pembroke Pines police Maj. Al Xiques said. “Unfortunately, our kennels were full and he was directed to animal control.”
Instead, detectives say a home surveillance camera on Northwest 119th Avenue and 19th Street later recorded the man leaving the dogs stranded in the middle of that neighborhood.
Rufus and Duke, a German shepherd and Jack Russell terrier, are now resting safe and sound in a foster home.
But Deborah French, a volunteer with Pooches in Pines, said the elderly dogs weren’t in good shape when they were found, showing signs of neglect.
“His nails were so long they were curving over,” she said of one of the dogs. “When we took him to the vet, the vet opened his mouth and one of his teeth fell out.”
French also had a message for the man seen on the surveillance video.
“If he thinks he didn’t do anything wrong, then he should come forward and say, ‘Hey, I found these dogs and I didn’t know what to do with these dogs,’” she said.
Police say the treatment of the dogs could result in a first-degree misdemeanor or rise to the level of a third-degree felony.
French says the dogs are now happy and safe in a foster home, and they are in the process of being adopted.
“She wanted to take them both together. She didn’t want to separate them,” French said of the foster. “They’re in a loving home.”
If you think you’ve seen the man police say abandoned the two dogs, you are urged to call Broward CrimeStoppers at 954-493-8477.