SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Animal-welfare officials asked the public Thursday for help in identifying a person who hurled two small dogs out of a car in the Rolando area, killing one of them.
A witness described seeing the "Chihuahua-type" dogs get "slammed" to the ground out of a passenger-side window of a white vehicle at 60th Street and University Avenue about 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, according to the county Department of Animal Services. The driver then accelerated through the intersection against a red light and sped off.
One of the dogs died at the scene. The other appeared to have suffered a broken leg, an injured muzzle and possibly broken ribs.
The witness put them both in his vehicle and went home, according to Animal Services officials. While the man was trying to remove the surviving dog from his car, it jumped out and ran down into a canyon in the area of Fairmount and Home avenues.
Animal-control officers subsequently searched the neighborhood but were unable to find the injured canine, which is believed to be a mixed-breed Chihuahua or a Chihuahua/Corgi mix.
"For someone to violently throw these two small dogs from (a) vehicle is both horrific and disturbing," Department of Animal Services Director Dawn Danielson said. "Whoever did this must be found and held accountable for their actions."
The perpetrator could be charged with felony animal cruelty and face up to several years in prison as well as fines, according to county officials.
Anyone with information about the case was asked to contact Animal Services at (619) 767-2740 and reference activity number 554788.