Dog and puppies left abandoned in empty building Bronx, NY (US) Date: Oct 14, 2004 County: Bronx Local Map: available Disposition: Convicted Case Images: 1 files available Abuser/Suspect: Michael Laster Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Case ID: 3171 Classification: Neglect / Abandonment Animal: dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in NY (US) « Back to Search Results Login to Watch this Case

A Bronx man was charged with leaving six dogs, including five puppies, in an abandoned building without food or water, authorities said.

Michael Laster, 53, who was staying with relatives at 144th Street, was arrested yesterday by agents for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

He was charged with six counts of animal cruelty and animal abandonment, misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail on conviction.

Laster is accused of leaving an adult dog and her five puppies on the third floor of a building at Union Avenue in Morrisania.

The adult dog, who animal care officials later called Shy, was allegedly tied with a leash to a radiator. The dogs, beagle mixes, were found by the building's owner on Oct. 14.

Shy, according to an ASPCA investigator, was dehydrated, her ribs were visible and was near death.

"She was basically imprisoned there," said Joseph Pentangelo, an agent for the ASPCA. "If the owner had not discovered them in time, they would have died."

Pentangelo said the city's Department of Animal Care and Control took in the dogs before taking them to North Shore Animal League in Port Washington.

"Through it all she took care of her puppies," Joanne Yohannan, assistant director of operations at North Shore, said of Shy.

Shy is healthy now. Four of her five puppies, which are about 8 weeks old, also are doing well. A fifth has been sick but is expected to recover.

Officials at North Shore hope that Shy, who is about 2 years old, gets adopted soon. Generally, older dogs tend to be adopted at a less frequent rate than puppies.

"She's got so much to offer," Marge Stein, North Shore's director of publicity, said of Shy. "With everything she's gone through, she's still the sweetest, most loving animal you'll come across."

For adoption information, call the North Shore Animal League at (516) 883-7575.

Add this case to:

Del.icio.us

|

Digg

|

Furl

|

Case Updates

Neighborhood Map

For more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.

Back to Top

References

	nydailynews.com
	nynewsday.com
	cbsnewyork.com

« Back to Search Results
« NY State Animal Cruelty Map

Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.