Elmont man who abandoned two Great Danes charged, DA says

An Elmont man moved out of his apartment but left behind his two Great Danes, who were found in such bad shape that one died after vomiting pieces of fabric, the Nassau district attorney’s office said Monday.

Mian Siddique, 49, was arraigned Friday on two misdemeanor counts overdriving, torturing and injuring animals and two counts of animal abandonment, a less serious misdemeanor charge.

Siddique moved out of his Oakley Avenue basement apartment on Jan. 1, and on Jan. 14, a Hempstead Town animal control officer went there to conduct a welfare check of a dog, authorities said.

In the basement apartment, the animal control officer discovered two emaciated dogs, brothers named Sheru and Maverick, prosecutors said.

A veterinarian exam at the town animal shelter found the two dogs were severely emaciated at 30-40 pounds underweight and had been neglected for at least two to three months, officials said.

Sheru had severe dental disease, multiple pressure sores and was very weak, and during treatment, the dog vomited fabric and finally succumbed to the neglect, prosecutors said.

Maverick was found with hair loss, pressure sores and dental disease and has since been adopted, officials said.

Siddique, arrested and arraigned Friday, was released under certain conditions and faces up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted on the top charge.

He was represented by The Legal Aid Society of Nassau County, which has a policy of not commenting in the early stages of a case. Siddique could not be reached Monday night.

A video posted on the district attorney’s Facebook page shows a white dog with a metal chain as a leash and the dog later wagging its tail despite its protruding hips, spine and ribs.

“This defendant allegedly moved out of his apartment abandoning his two Great Danes to die of dehydration and starvation,” District Attorney Madeline Singas said in a statement. “Every dog deserves a caring and loving home, and when pet owners neglect or abuse their animals, we will hold them criminally accountable.”