A man has been accused of abandoning a dog at a cell tower in Riverside County, California, last month.
“Robert Ruiz Jr., 30, was arrested by Riverside County Animal Services officers and booked on allegations of felony animal cruelty and a misdemeanor for the suspected abandonment,” Fox 11 reported Thursday.
The suspect allegedly tossed his dog over barbed wire fence at the tower in Winchester on December 15, according to surveillance footage of the incident.
The suspect, wearing a hoodie, shorts, and white shoes, appeared to pick up the brown and white dog then throw it over the fence. The animal’s back paws seemed to catch on the fence as it went over:
The dog was seen walking up to the fence and watching the man walk away. The video also shows officers arresting Ruiz Jr.
Following the incident, veterinarians with Animal Services treated the pit bull mix and he was adopted last week by a young woman.
More video footage shows the dog walking on a leash. As someone calls to him, he wags his tail:
Pit bull dogs are usually muscular, stocky animals with big, square heads, according to the Spruce Pets website.
“They’re notoriously determined dogs. When given a task, whether it be learning a new trick or digging a hole, they won’t give up easily. And they usually love people, including strangers, and crave attention,” the site reads.
When Ruiz was taken into custody at a Winchester residence, officers also seized a young female pit bull mix from the home.
“Officers believe Ruiz abandoned a second dog and officers with Animal Services are attempting to locate that other dog,” the Fox 11 report said.
As the crime wave continues sweeping across President Joe Biden’s (D) America, citizens are “more likely now than at any time over the past five decades to say there is more crime in their local area than there was a year ago,” Gallup reported in October.
“The 56% of U.S. adults who report an increase in crime where they live marks a five-percentage-point uptick since last year and is the highest by two points in Gallup’s trend dating back to 1972,” the article said.