HOUSTON, Texas – A man dumps four puppies in the middle of a busy two lane road in northeast Harris County. His intention becomes clear when he places dog food in the middle of the road. It seems he wants to make certain that oncoming vehicles on the wet road kill the puppies.
A security camera captures the entire incident which has led to a man-hunt. Law enforcement officials and the media are working together to find the man who left the puppies in the roadway.
According to a report by Keith Garvin, a news anchor and reporter for Click2Houston.com, the plan fortunately did not work and the four dogs were rescued.
Ellery Andrew, a Houston business owner, rescued the puppies and is taking care of them until new owners can be found. He is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of the man who placed the puppies in harm’s way.
The video above shows the events recorded by a security camera on March 21st. A man driving a silver Lincoln Navigator or Ford Expedition stops his vehicle in the middle of a curved, narrow, road that is wet from recent rains. The man reaches into the backseat and drops four puppies onto the road and empties a food bag in the middle of the road. The puppies immediately begin to eat the food and he drives off. The video shows several close calls as cars on the busy roadway nearly hit the puppies. The puppies were in danger, but a very serious accident could have been caused by cars swerving in opposing traffic to avoid hitting them.
In his first report, on March 31st, Garvin reported that Andrew was caring for three of the puppies but that one was still missing. “Something needs to happen to that guy,” Andrew said. “Whoever did it needs to step up and say, ‘Hey, I’m sorry,’ or something.”
“(He’s) trying to get them dogs ran over,” Andrew said speaking of the video. “(He’s trying to) keep them in the street.” The man eventually drove by the scene again and nearly hit the dogs himself,” Garvin reported. “I’ll offer a $500 reward for whoever turns him in,” Andrew said while choking back tears. “(I’m offering) cash, no questions asked — $500 reward.”
Texas Penal Code — Section 42.09 (a)(3) makes unreasonable abandonment of an animal that is in the person’s custody a Class A misdemeanor unless the actor has committed two prior crimes under this section. If that were the case, the offense would be a state jail felony. Punishment for a violation of this section would be a fine not to exceed $4,000; confinement in jail for a term not to exceed one year; or both.
In Garvin’s Wednesday night follow-up report (shown below), he revealed that the fourth puppy was eventually found about a mile away from the scene where they were dumped.
“He was close. He just didn’t know where the rest of them were you know?” says Andrew about the fourth puppy. “So he’s with them now, and it was a pretty happy greeting.”
In response to an inquiry from Breitbart Texas, Garvin said that more people are contributing to the reward and a larger reward is expected to be announced. Garvin said they don’t have an accurate description of the man who dumped the dogs in the roadway. They are searching for a silver Lincoln Navigator or Ford Expedition with custom wheels, a moon roof and luggage rack on top, and a dented left front fender. If anyone recognizes the Navigator or Expedition with the dented fender, they are asked to contact the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
“The word’s getting out. Somebody knows who this guy is,” says Andrew. “If we can get him he won’t do this to the next group of dogs. We’ve got to get him.”
NOTE: This article has been updated with additional information.
Lana Shadwick is a contributing writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. Follow her on Twitter @LanaShadwick2
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