North Carolina man charged with animal cruelty for tossing puppy from car window: report

A man accused of tossing a puppy out of his car window in front of an animal shelter in the city of Bryson, North Carolina has been charged with animal cruelty and animal abandonment, WLOS has reported. Bryson City police shared surveillance images of the man on Friday and enlisted the public's help in finding him.

PAWS Animal Shelter, which helps and shelters abandoned, abused, homeless and injured cats and dogs in Swain County, said that a man in a jeep threw a puppy from his car window even though the shelter's gate was open. Sharing screengrabs from the CCTV footage of the incident, the shelter asked the public to help identify the man. Later, in an update, the shelter shared the man had been identified.

PAWS executive director Beth Stroud told WLOS that many people reached out with information regarding the man and his vehicle, helping authorities identify and charge him quickly.

Missing puppy

The shelter said that the puppy ran away after it was tossed out, and that the shelter's staff are looking for it.

"The video is heartbreaking, and we are out now searching for this scared pup," wrote the shelter on Facebook. "We are worried sick over him/her."

"We wish the person that did this would have done the right thing and drove on through the gates so we could assist them rather than slinging this poor innocent dog out the window," the shelter shared.

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The search for the lost puppy continues even after three days. In an update on Monday afternoon, the shelter shared they have not yet located the puppy, despite community efforts.

"We’ve got game cameras up as well as our surveillance cameras and we are searching every day and night. We won’t give up looking for him," the shelter said, adding that they are leaving food for the animal, but "so far only the neighborhood cats and raccoons have come to feast on the food left."

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The shelter requested that anyone who spots the puppy bring it to the shelter at 57 Lemons Branch Road, Bryson City or contact them at 828-488-0418 with any leads. Alternatively, people can contact the Bryson City Police Department at (828) 488-3050.