Animal cruelty charge against Glen Cove man accused of starving dog

A neglected Pitbull is recovering at Cove Animal Rescue center in Glen Cove, Long Island, after animal control officers spotted a "very emaciated tan dog" outside a house on Mariners Way.

Rescued female Pitbull is recovering at Cove Animal Rescue, the dog shelter in Glen Cove. Owner allegedly said he can't afford to feed her.Photo byCove Animal Rescue

The dog's alleged owner, Gadal Letellier, 27, pleaded Not Guilty on Thursday in Nassau County District Court to starving his female dog. The charge is a Misdemeanor under New York Agriculture and Markets Law § 353, "Failure to Provide Proper Sustenance" to a companion animal.

Judge Charles Mcquair assigned Letellier a public defender and released him on his own recognizance.

According to sworn court filings, Nassau County Detective Thomas Haley and two investigators arrived for a "wellness check on a tan dog that had been previously observed" in the front yard of a house on Mariners Way -- overlooking the street, it turns out, where the local animal shelter is located.

Det. Haley said Letellier showed investigators 2 dogs: a small, "healthy and muscular" gray-and-tan Pocket Pitbull, and a tan female Pitbull that was "very thin with ribs visibly protruding".

Mariners Way home in Glen Cove, overlooking Shore Road -- where the local dog shelter is located.Photo byC.J. Teevan

Det. Haley said he photographed the female dog and questioned Letellier about her health. Letellier allegedly told investigators he can't afford to feed her.

They said Letellier voluntarily surrendered his Pitbull to a dog control officer from the Cove Animal Rescue shelter. The dog allegedly weighed 36 lbs. when she arrived at the animal shelter.

The Pitbull was treated at Brookville Animal Hospital on Glen Cove Road, where veterinarian Mark Plunkett rated the 3-year-old Pitbull's health "1.5" on a scale of 1 to 9 "due to lack of fat stores and loss of muscle Mass."

A Brookville Animal Hospital vet who examined the Pitbull, who was skin and bones when surrendered, said she will take months to recover.Photo byC.J. Teevan

Dr. Plunkett also described the dog as "emaciated, obviously undernourished and mildly dehydrated," Det. Haley says.

Today, the dog is being treated "with TLC," said a Cove Animal Rescue volunteer.

The shelter declined to provide access to the rescued dog for photographs, citing her fragile medical condition.

Cove Animal Rescue on Shore Road in Glen Cove. A volunteer says the rescued Pitbull is getting "TLC" -- and food.Photo byC.J. Teevan