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Long Beach Police have launched an investigation into the death of a three-legged German shepherd, as a resident who twice reported the dog being left in a car this month said it could have been saved if officers had intervened sooner.
The dog may still be alive, residents say, if police had seized it during either of two incidents on May 7 and May 18, when the same woman is believed to have left the animal in a bright canary-yellow Mustang with the windows closed or barely cracked.
The German shepherd was reportedly found dead on May 20 in a parking lot on Shore Road between Monroe and Lincoln, near the boardwalk, with social media posts alleging the dog’s body had been left in the lot and that a distinctive yellow Mustang was at the scene.
“This never should have happened the second time around,” a Long Beach resident who said they reported both incidents told Greater Long Island.
“The dog deserved better,” added the source, who asked to remain anonymous.
Long Beach Police confirmed that an investigation into the dog’s death is ongoing, but did not provide any details.
Greater Long Island contacted a Long Beach police lieutenant seeking further comment but did not immediately receive a response. The outlet was later directed to Long Beach Police public information officer John McNally.
He said the department does not comment on matters involving an active investigation, while declining to address questions about the prior police responses to reports involving the dog.
First incident: Dog left overnight, windows closed
The first call about the dog being left alone in a car came about 7 a.m. on May 7, when a Long Beach resident walking near the 300 block of Beach Street spotted movement inside a parked yellow Mustang with a vanity plate reading “MYBAD302.”
The resident said she recognized the car from around town and was alarmed to see a German Shepherd looking up from the back seat with the windows completely shut and no food or water visible.
“I touched the hood of the vehicle to see if maybe the dog’s owner had just ran inside, but the car was cold,” the resident said. “This car had not moved in a while.”
The resident said she called Long Beach police, who responded along with animal control, she said. Officers then located the owner nearby.
The Long Beach source told GLI she heard the German shepherd’s owner tell authorities she had “fallen on hard times” and was keeping the dog in the car because the hotel she was temporarily living in — Long Beach Hotel — doesn’t allow pets.
However, hotel management informed Greater Long Island that it is indeed a pet-friendly hotel and allows guests to stay overnight with dogs, as indicated in the hotel’s policy posted online. Furthermore, the hotel is hosting a Doggie Brunch on May 31. (Please see editor’s note below.)
Management said the hotel is willing to cooperate with law enforcement and provide exterior security footage if requested.
“It’s a heartbreaking tragedy and we hope there is justice for the dog and a full investigation into what happened,” ownership said in its statement to GLI.
Police in the May 7 incident issued the woman a ticket for an apparent vehicle inspection violation and let her leave with the dog after she promised to find it placement, the resident said.
Second incident: Woman drives off with dog
Eleven days later, on the morning of May 18, the same yellow Mustang was parked on East Beach between Lincoln and Franklin — just blocks from Long Beach Hotel, according to the same Long Beach resident, who again called police.
This time, the windows were cracked only an inch or two, and the front seats had been pushed all the way back, obscuring the view into the rear where the dog was kept, according to the resident, whose home security camera captured the owner parking the car and walking away overnight.
“At 7:33 in the morning, it was already 67 degrees,” the resident said. “The dog was in the back seat, panting.”
The individual called police but they did not immediately respond to the location of the car. After 30 minutes, the Long Beach resident phoned the police department again.
The same officer from the May 7 incident responded and confirmed it was the same dog, according to the resident, who recorded the police response from her porch.
“He said, ‘Yeah, it’s the same dog. Yeah, no food or water visible,'” the resident recalled.
The witness said that an officer drove off from the scene, and then returned with the dog’s owner. Further, during a brief conversation, the dog owner promised she would take the dog to stay with her sister.
Police let her leave with the animal, the witness said.
The witness who phoned police recorded the May 18 police response and provided footage to Greater Long Island.
In the video, a Long Beach Police squad car arrives at the scene, and a female officer and a woman emerge from the vehicle. A few moments later, the plainclothes woman who exited the police vehicle is seen getting into the yellow Mustang and driving away.
The video still below shows the woman driving off in the Mustang.
“I was not happy,” the resident said. “[The police] should have just taken the dog.”
Dog found dead two days later
On May 20, the German Shepherd was reportedly discovered dead in an open parking lot near the boardwalk.
A witness reported seeing the yellow Mustang at the scene between 11:30 a.m. and noon, according to an “Urgent” post in the Long Beach City Facebook group requesting camera footage.
“Without compromising the integrity of the investigation, a dead German Shepard with 3 legs was involved,” the post stated.
‘This could have been avoided’
The case has sparked outrage in Long Beach, with dozens of angry comments flooding social media posts about the dog’s death.
The resident who reported both incidents had posted anonymously to the Long Beach City Facebook group after each encounter, sharing photos of the car and asking the community to watch for the vehicle.
“I had a feeling this was not a one-time thing,” the resident said.
After learning the dog had died, the resident feels some guilt for not doing more — but believes firmly the police should have taken a different route toward guaranteeing the German shepherd’s safety.
“The second time, they should have just taken the dog,” said the resident, who questioned why animal control didn’t connect the owner with local rescue organizations that could have provided temporary foster care while the woman got back on her feet.
“They should have directed her to a rescue. I did all I could to help this dog, and I had such a bad feeling the first time I called police.”
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story included a witness account stating the dog’s owner told authorities the animal was being kept in a vehicle because the nearby Long Beach Hotel did not allow pets and that a hotel employee said the hotel didn’t allow pets. Hotel management contacted Greater Long Island to clarify that the hotel is pet-friendly and permits guests to stay with dogs. The story has been updated to reflect that information.
Top: courtesy photos
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