West Hempstead man charged with abandoning severely neglected dog at Freeport shelter, Nassau DA says

A West Hempstead man has been charged with abandoning Athena, a severely malnourished and neglected dog, at a shelter in Freeport earlier this month, Nassau prosecutors said Friday.

Damian Douglas, 41, is charged with overdriving, overloading, torture, beating, injuring, maiming, mutilating or killing of an animal, and abandonment of an animal, both misdemeanors.

He was arraigned Friday in Hempstead before Nassau District Court Judge David Levine where he was issued a desk appearance ticket and released on his own recognizance as the charges are not bail qualifying. 

“The defendant allegedly kept his dog in a crate outside his home for at least eight months and allowed his animal to suffer open sores, severe malnourishment and muscle wasting,” said Nassau District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly. “This is one of the worst cases of extreme confinement and animal cruelty we’ve ever seen in this county."

The Nassau County Legal Aid Society, which represented Douglas at his arraignment, declined to comment.

The arrest of Douglas on Thursday came two weeks after video surveillance showed a man, now identified as Douglas, dropping off a pet carrier containing a 4-year-old severely emaciated dog at Bobbi and the Strays, a Freeport shelter, on July 7.

Athena, who was named by local veterinary staff, had numerous open sores and severe muscle mass wasting, prosecutors said. She was taken to a shelter in Howard Beach, Queens, for treatment.

Earlier this month, Donnelly and Nassau SPCA Board president Gary Rogers held a news conference announcing a $5,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for endangering Athena, whom Rogers described as a mixed-breed female. The DA's office confirmed that no one collected a reward in the case.

Athena, Rogers said, was forced to live for what was likely months in a cramped pet cage in her own feces and urine.

"This dog has no muscle mass, can barely stand," Rogers said at the time. "It has pressure sores, urine burns, is severely underweight. … It's the worst neglect I've ever seen."

Douglas reportedly purchased the dog, then known as Skyy, from a breeder in Greensboro, North Carolina, prosecutors said.

He began keeping her in a crate on an enclosed porch outside his home in November while taking Skyy for periodic walks, officials said.

But beginning in February, Douglas stopped taking the dog out of the crate altogether, prosecutors said.

Douglas is due back in court Aug. 2 and faces up to 364 days in jail.