A puppy that was tossed from the window of a car was finally found and rescued four days after the shocking incident. The puppy's ordeal took place in Bryson City, North Carolina. Surveillance footage caught the suspect throwing the puppy out of the window of their Jeep on Friday, September 8, 2023.
They tossed the puppy at the entrance of the PAWS Bryson City animal shelter, despite the gates being open and the driver having the option to take the puppy into the shelter. Once the puppy was found, he appeared to be malnourished and injured.
“And we were open," said Beth Cline, executive director of the PAWS animal shelter. "I mean, that's what blows my mind. We were open and we could have taken him in.”
She and her staff were deeply disturbed after watching the surveillance footage. “We just gasped because there is absolutely no excuse for that — none. You could see him sling the dog with a lot of force,” she explained.
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Beth posted the incident to social media, and the public was immediately outraged. Everyone came together to find the puppy. “Neighbors around were looking,” she said.
An off-duty Swain County sheriff's deputy finally found the puppy on Tuesday, not too far from the shelter. “She came up and she actually found him,” Beth shared.
They estimate the puppy, who is a German shepherd and perhaps boxer mix, is only 10 weeks old. “He's malnourished, dehydrated," Beth said. "He was loaded down with fleas." He also had fractures and abrasions, but thankfully PAWS stepped in and tended to him.
The puppy was given the name Apollo by one of the kennel techs. “It was a strong name for him, you know, and he is a strong survivor,” she said.
The suspect, who is a local, will face charges. “I know that the magistrate did the two charges on him: Abandonment of an animal and cruelty to animals,” she explained.
“I am a strong advocate for stiffer penalties … absolutely,” she added. “This is not acceptable as a community; as a state, this is not acceptable. What he did was wrong."
