A man has been arrested and charged after a video of a husky being abandoned by a road went viral.
The video was filmed in Horizon City, east of El Paso and close to the Mexican border in southern Texas.
Luis Antonio Campos, 68, was arrested on Friday under suspicion of animal cruelty. He was held in El Paso County Jail before putting up the $5,000 bond that same day, jail logs show.
Officials said on Friday that at least one other arrest is expected in the case. Mr Campos is accused of being one of at least two people who left the dog on the side of the road on Tuesday.
A younger man can be seen in the video unleashing the dog. The husky then lies down next to the car. The man reenters the car, which drives off, prompting the dog to chase after it. An older man can be seen in the video through the driver side mirror.
The dog was rescued by a volunteer from Pawsitive Rescuers of El Paso and put up for adoption by Huckleberry Hound Dog Rescue, a nonprofit animal rescue organization, the El Paso Times reported.
The husky was adopted by Maddie Clappsaddle’s family on Wednesday. They named the about ten-month-old dog Nanook.
“When I saw the video and I saw him run after the car, it just made my heart feel like broken,” she told KVIA. “But now that he’s here and he’s running around and he’s happy, I feel very happy and excited.”
Barbara Valencia at the Huckleberry Hound Rescue told KTSM: “We’re seeing this on an everyday basis. The only reason it got so much attention is because someone videotaped it, but it’s happening every day.”
Ronald Comeau has been rescuing pets in El Paso for six years. “I don’t know how those people could get in that vehicle, see that dog in the mirror running behind them and then just drive off. I don’t know how you could do that as a human being,” he told KFOX14.
He added that he’s never seen a case like this.
“It hurts. The immediate thought that comes to mind for people that love animals is give me that person for five minutes in a dark room,” Mr Comeau said.
Commenters on social media shared Mr Comeu’s fury.
“My heart is trying to heal itself from seeing this. It’s heartbreaking and I can’t stop crying,” Laura Holguin Vergara said.
“I can’t understand how someone would do that to an animal,” Yazmin Montaya added.
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that “these crimes against our voiceless animal victims are taken seriously and we actively seek to hold suspects accountable for these cruel acts”.
