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An Albany woman is facing animal cruelty charges after allegedly abandoning her dog inside a backpack in below-zero temperatures last month.
Denyatta Mathis, 34, was charged with torturing or injuring animals and abandonment of animals after police found a 5-year-old mixed-breed Pomeranian zipped inside a backpack on Thursday (January 27), according to Albany Police.
Officers responded to the area of Sherman and Ontario streets around 12:30 p.m. following reports of an abandoned dog. When they arrived, they discovered the dog had been left on the sidewalk without access to food or water while temperatures plunged below zero.
The dog was immediately taken to the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, where staff report the Pomeranian is recovering and in good condition.
Following an investigation, police identified Mathis as the dog's owner and took her into custody on Sunday (February 4). She was processed and released with an appearance ticket to appear in Albany City Criminal Court at a later date, according to WNYT.
This case follows other recent animal cruelty incidents in the Albany area, including another case where a woman was accused of leaving a dog to freeze outside a shelter.