Man charged with starving dog to death; Puppy rescued from Long Island home
MINEOLA, Long Island (WABC) -- A Long Island man was charged with starving a dog to death, but police managed to rescue an underweight puppy found at his home.
Police said 70-year-old Harold Nichols, of Uniondale, faces animal cruelty charges for his alleged neglect that led to the death of his four-year-old male Shepherd mix named Shek.
Nichols allegedly called Hempstead's animal shelter in December 2018 to tell them Shek had died. When shelter officials arrived, they found the dog's body in a kennel in the backyard and noticed it was extremely underweight.
They also found a German Shepherd puppy, alive, inside another kennel in the backyard. The puppy, named Jay's Ultimate Falco, was slightly underweight and extremely hungry when given food.
Police said that the deceased Shepherd mix was 25 to 30 pounds underweight with fly bites on both ears.
Nichols is accused of feeding both dogs by putting food in plastic newspaper bags and throwing the bags into the kennel. Bits of plastic were found in the dead dog's stomach.
Nichols was arraigned Tuesday, and bail was set at $2,000 bond or $1,000 cash. He's due back in court Thursday.
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