Texas man facing animal cruelty charges after being caught on video abandoning dog on highway

A Texas man was arrested on Friday, July 23rd, accused of animal cruelty just days after he allegedly abandoned a husky along a roadside near El Paso, authorities said. 

Luis Antonio Campos, 68, was booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility on $5,000 bond, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said, adding that another arrest was expected as the investigation continued. 

The alleged crime was captured on video that quickly went viral after being shared on social media. 

?El Paso County Sheriff's animal cruelty investigators are looking into an incident involving a Husky that was left on the side of the road in Horizon City.
More: https://t.co/cJveWz2xPK pic.twitter.com/TA88LqDFRn

— KFOX14 News (@KFOX14) July 21, 2021

The clip appears to show someone unleashing the dog along the roadside while a driver waits in a nearby Jeep. The pair then drive away as the dog desperately chases the SUV, unable to catch up. 

“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,” Ronald Comeau told KFOX 14 of El Paso. “I don’t know how you could do that as a human being.”

Comeau said he has been rescuing pets in El Paso for six years.

Twitter commenters were also disgusted and saddened by the video.

Husky seen running after car when he’s abandoned and is saved, Texas man is arrested and charged with animal cruelty. (Via IG: ms.mojorising_) pic.twitter.com/JmwbdZnS3w

— Dallas Texas TV (@DallasTexasTV) July 24, 2021

Fortunately, less than 24 hours after the video went viral, “Nanook,” as the dog was newly named, had a new family. 

“I think he’s doing us an active kindness by completing our family,” the new owner told KFOX. “He’s not lost anymore.” 

Source: KFOX.