Man arrested after leaving injured dog in a bag in Syracuse trash can, police said

Syracuse, N.Y. — A 58-year-old man has been arrested after Syracuse police say he put a dog in a plastic bag and dumped it in a trash can last week.

The dog, a poodle mix, was treated for injuries and is expected to make a full recovery, the Syracuse Police Department said in a social media post Tuesday.

Anthony Munford was charged with abandonment of an animal and four counts of animal cruelty, all misdemeanors, police said. He was issued an appearance ticket to appear in court at a later date.

Thomas Babilon, a Burnet Avenue resident, told Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard he found the dog in the trash can when he came home on Oct. 1. He called 911 and took the dog inside his home to give it a bath. It was bleeding and blood was on the floor, he said.

The dog was small and black, with matted hair, he said. Babilon thinks it may be an elderly dog.

Usually, his trash is picked up around 8 a.m. and he got home around 4:45 p.m. so the dog could have been there for hours.

“There was a dog, sticking its head out of a bag,” he said. “So unbelievable.”