What to Know
- A man accused of severely beating a beagle puppy on a Bronx street has been arrested, the NYPD said
- Loro Gjonaj, 77, of Yonkers, faces charges including torturing, injuring or not feeding an animal and abandonment of a disabled animal
- The puppy had severe facial swelling, a fractured bone under her eye, among other medical issues
A man accused of severely beating a beagle puppy on a Bronx street has been arrested, the NYPD said.
Loro Gjonaj, 77, of Yonkers, allegedly dragged the dog from the rear of a pickup truck parked at the intersection of 182nd Street and Belmont Avenue, in the Belmont section of the Bronx, around 12:26 p.m. on Sept. 17, police said.
Gjonaj then allegedly threw the puppy onto the street before fleeing the scene, the NYPD said.
After a passerby spotted the 4-month-old puppy tied to a pole outside a barbershop, the dog was taken to an animal hospital, where she was treated for severe facial swelling, an abscess on the top of her head, a fractured bone under her eye, “symmetrical breaks” in her cheeks and cuts on her head, neck and shoulders.
Rescuers named the dog Cleo and told News 4 New York she was slowly getting better, adding that they chose the name because the canine was “a fighter.”
Gjonaj faces charges including torturing, injuring or not feeding an animal and abandonment of a disabled animal, police said.
His attorney information wasn’t immediately available Tuesday.
