Dog seen on viral video getting dumped in Horizon was also shot
UPDATE, Aug. 23: A Siberian Husky that was abandoned in Horizon City a month ago was found with a pellet lodged in its skin, indicating that the dog had also been shot.
That's according to the dog's new owner, Katherine Clapsaddle.
The heartbreaking video of the dog, Nanook, chasing after the car that abandoned it went viral.
Two people in that car that dumped the dog have been charged with animal cruelty.
Nanook is now in good spirits and health after getting the pellet removed, Clapsaddle said.
UPDATE, July 27: The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday announced the filing of charges against a second person for abandoning a dog on a roadside in Horizon City in an incident captured on viral video.
17-year-old Moises Soto now faces a charge of animal cruelty in the case. The teen joins 68-year-old Luis Campos, who was already facing an animal cruelty charge after his arrest last week.
Soto is believed to be the young man seen on video taking the collar off of the Siberian Husky and leaving him outside a car that sped off from the intersection of S. Ascencion and Temperance streets on July 20.
Campos was driving that car, and according to court records he enlisted Soto's help to get rid of the dog.
UPDATE, July 26: Court documents obtained by ABC-7 on Monday provided new details in the case of a man accused of abandoning a Husky on a roadside in Horizon City last week in an incident captured on viral video.
68-year-old Luis Antonio Campos faces animal cruelty charges stemming from the dog dumping at Ascencion and Temperance streets on July 20.
Court documents indicate Campos reportedly told sheriff's investigators that the dog was a stray in his neighborhood that killed a neighbor's dog and destroyed his garden, so he decided to relocate the Husky and did not have the phone number for Animal Control.
Investigators said Campos also told them that the young man seen on video taking the collar off the dog had nothing to do with his decision to relocate the Husky. Campos said he simply asked the boy to help him catch and release the animal.
According to the American Kennel Club, the Siberian Husky is among the least aggressive and more friendly dog breeds.
UPDATE, July 23: El Paso County Sheriff's deputies on Friday announced the arrest of a man for abandoning a dog on the side of an Horizon City road and driving off in an incident that was captured on a video that went viral.
The 68-year-old man, Luis Antonio Campus, was booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility on a charge of animal cruelty, with his bond set at $5,000.
Deputies said they also anticipated making a second arrest in the case soon.
UPDATE, July 22: The tragic story of a Husky abandoned on the side of an Horizon City road now has a happy ending.
The Clappsaddle family is bringing in a new addition to their home after watching the viral video of the dog chasing a vehicle, after the people inside left the Husky on the roadside and drove off.
The Husky's new family has given him the name "Ninook," after a character from the 1987 film "The Lost Boys."
"When I saw the video and I saw him run after the car, it just made my heart feel like broken - but now that he's running around and he's happy, I feel very happy and excited," said Maddie Clappsaddle.
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office animal cruelty unit said it continues its investigation aimed at fidning those who abandoned the dog.
ORIGINAL REPORT, July 21: HORIZON CITY, Texas -- Animal cruelty investigators on Wednesday sought to identify a family seen on video abandoning a dog along the side of a road in Horizon City before taking off in their car.
The incident happened Tuesday near the intersection of Ascencion and Temperance, where authorities said they found the abandoned Husky after receiving a call about a dog being left along the roadway.
Video of the incident, taken by witness Joy Dominguez, was provided to ABC-7. It was also posted to social media and has gone viral.
Authorities asked anyone who can identify the family in the video to call the Sheriff’s Office at 915-832-4408 or 915-538-2185.
“These crimes against our voiceless animal victims are taken seriously and we actively seek to hold suspects accountable for these cruel acts,” a sheriff's spokesman said in a statement Wednesday indicating that deputies were actively working the case.
The spokesman indicated an examination of the abandoned Husky found the dog to be in good health; the canine has been placed with a local animal rescuer for care.
