$7K Offered In Hunt For Person Who Dumped Dog In Garbage Bag

BROOKLYN, NY — Rescuers have raised more than $7,300 to offer as a reward in an effort to find the person who stuffed a dog into a garbage bag with its mouth taped shut before dumping him near an East New York Highway.

New York Bully Crew asked for donations to help find the owner of the 10- to 11-year-old shepherd breed that rescuers named St. Vincent. He was found in the bag in Higland Park, near the Jackie Robinson Parkway and Pennsylvania Avenue, on Dec. 19.

"This guy needs to be thrown in jail, he needs to be caught," said Craig Fields, founder of New York Bully Crew. "This is just a heartless piece of s--t who decided this was the best way to euthanize the dog."

Fields said veterinarians told him it could've taken weeks or months for St. Vincent to die while left in the bag.
"If this guy can do this to a dog I can only imagine what he’s doing to his kids or wife," he said.

St. Vincent was found in the park at about 8:20 p.m. after a passer-by noticed the black garbage bag moving then heard the dog struggling to breathe, police said. The person called officers who cut the bag open and found St. Vincent inside.

Police contacted the Bully Crew which took the dog to VERG-South in Flatbush for treatment. St. Vincent was covered in his own urine and vets there found he couldn't move his legs, likely due to spinal injuries.

He was eventually transferred to VERG's Gowanus location where he's gotten MRIs and has been recovering. Vets there said that the injuries St. Vincent sustained while in the bag have improved, but he still has chronic issues to deal with.

"I'm afraid he may not be able to walk again," Dr. Brett Levitzke, medical director of the group, previously told Patch. "Hence the reason why his owners threw him away like a piece of garbage."

The spinal conditions are common with shepherd breeds once they get older, but Levitzke said they were left untreated by his previous owners for a long time, making them much worse.

A spokeswoman for the NYPD said they didn't have any suspects, but Fields said the reward money has already brought in several tips that seem promising.

Lead image: New York Bully Crew