Police: Woman Who Claimed to Find Dog Abandoned in Hudson Valley Was Owner

Police say a woman who said she found an abandoned dog on a highway and dropped the dog off at a Hudson Valley animal shelter was in fact the dog’s owner. The dog later died.

On February 24th, 51-year-old Rhonda Peterson, of Matamoras, PA, dropped off a pit bull terrier named “Sweet Sally” at the Humane Society of Port Jervis/Deerpark. According to the Deerpark Police Department, Peterson claimed she found the dog abandoned on US Route 209 in Orange County.

Police say an investigation determined Peterson was the dog’s owner. Peterson allegedly transported “Sweet Sally,” from her Matamoras, PA home directly to the Humane Society of Port Jervis/Deerpark.

Once officials from Orange County determined the dog came from Pennsylvania the Eastern Pike Regional Police Department was contacted. Peterson was charged in Pennsylvania with cruelty to animals and abandonment of a dog by its owner.

According the Humane Society of Port Jervis/Deerpark, when “Sweet Sally” arrived she was so weak she couldn’t stand up on her own. She weighed only 28 pounds.

While at the veterinarian’s office the dog was given IV fluids, antibiotics and vitamins. Bloodwork indicated her liver and kidneys were not functioning and she was extremely dehydrated. It’s believed that the dog went without food for weeks. Unfortunately “Sweet Sally” died due to her injuries.

If convicted of animal cruelty Peterson faces a $750 fine and/or a maximum of 90 days in jail. The abandonment charge is punishable by a fine of $300 to $1000.

“Unfortunately that’s what the law is in Pennsylvania,” The Humane Society of Port Jervis/Deerpark Shelter Director Susan Beecher told Hudson Valley Post. “We hope that local legislators might see the need to increase those penalties. It’s something that people in the animal welfare community have been talking about for some time.”

Beecher encourages anyone who is appalled by the potential penalties to contact their local lawmakers.