'He has his whole life ahead of him': Abused Mini Poodle 'Rocket' reunites with NYC rescuers

NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — The harrowing story of Rocket the Miniature Poodle, who suffered severe injuries as a result of being thrown off of a ledge in Washington Heights in May, has a happy ending.

Rocket, two months after he was seriously hurt and now in good health, was reunited on Wednesday with the law enforcement and animal welfare personnel who saved his life.

“He's pretty much back to normal. He can run, he can hop around, he likes to play fetch so he's going to go on to live a very normal and wonderful life, and he's young, so he has his whole life ahead of him,” Dr. Ann Marie Zollo with Manhattan’s Schwarzman Animal Medical Center told 1010 WINS/WCBS 880.

On May 16, the one-year-old puppy was saved by NYPD officers who responded to Highbridge Park and found the badly-injured pup in the arms of his owner, 25-year-old Morgan Cleopatra, who threw him. Officers quickly separated the dog from the woman.

The rescue, which was caught on police body cameras, shows a visibly distraught officer holding the wounded Mini Poodle. She tells another officer that he is in shock and bleeding from the mouth, but that he needs to go to a doctor as he is still breathing.

WARNING: This post contains disturbing video.

Rocket was transferred to the ASPCA, where it was determined that he experienced a traumatic brain injury, a fractured femur and had an unstable heart rate and blood pressure.

The severity of his injuries led him to be transported to the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center, an ASPCA partner, where he received treatment from their critical care and neurology specialists.

Once he could handle being under anesthesia, Rocket was transferred back to the ASPCA, where he underwent surgery for his fractured femur. He then participated in several weeks of physical therapy.

“Getting to watch him run, play, and cuddle up to his caregivers represents the importance of the lifesaving work the ASPCA has been doing in collaboration with the NYPD and our vet partners like AMC for the past decade, giving thousands of animal victims of alleged abuse a second chance,” Kris Lindsay, vice president of ASPCA Animal Recovery Center, said.

Rocket has a new owner waiting for him, and his adoption will soon be finalized.

Sources told 1010 WINS that Cleopatra is emotionally disturbed and told responding officers that she “snapped” when she threw Rocket from the ledge. She was arrested and charged with animal cruelty.

“Animals are very innocent and they need people to protect them,” Zollo said. “And fortunately for Rocket, there were a lot of people there that day that were willing to protect him and you know, he's going to go on to have a nice life now because of it.”