Case Report

A woman was furious when she saw that what looked like a piece of trash being thrown from a pickup truck window was actually a 6-week-old puppy.

While driving Tuesday morning, Benestante noticed the truck heading toward her was oddly disposing waste from the driver's side window.

But when she saw the six-pound, light brown body of a puppy crack on the asphalt, she knew right away what had happened "I just stopped traffic in the middle of the road. I was so furious," Benestante said. "I'm an animal lover, and you just don't do that."

The puppy owner's neglect attracted a crowd of passing motorists and nearby utility workers who tried to save the cowering animal in the middle of morning traffic. The puppy hid under two parked cars before Benestante could reach him and wrap him in a sheet.

He was bleeding and crying in pain. If you've never heard a puppy cry, it is so sad it pulls your heart through your teeth," she said.

Officers questioned Mark Anthony Meave, 47, about throwing the puppy from his truck window. He said the dog jumped from the bed of his truck, but could not say why he didn't attempt to retrieve it, police reports stated.

Meave was arrested and charged with animal cruelty, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by a maximum of one year in jail and a $400 fine.

Benestante's new pet, which she has now named Nunzio, was treated at the Preston Road Animal Hospital for a broken rib and a serious case of mange.

References

Pasadena Citizen