The wee puppy at the centre of alleged animal cruelty is now back with its rightful owner
POLICE say a man arrested in Derry on Monday for alleged animal cruelty will not face charges over the incident.
PSNI Foyle posted on its Facebook page on Monday that officers on patrol in the city centre were flagged down “by people who were concerned by how a man was treating his wee pup”.
The defenceless puppy (pictured above) was rescued by police and taken to Strand Road police station.
The male was initially arrested for disorderly behaviour but subsequently arrested for alleged animal cruelty.
In an update on the case, the PSNI Foyle say: “We’ve had so many messages of support and Private Messages asking to adopt the wee pup.
“A Police Officer took the pup home and cared for him overnight but thankfully we got him back to the Rightful Owner who is over the moon to have his pup back safe and sound.
“The suspect left the Station this morning with a Penalty Notice for Disorder.
“Upon careful review of the CCTV by dog owning Police Officers 
👮🏻 and early intervention by Police and the Public; the Investigating Officer is satisfied that there’s no further offences.”
The Facebook posting left followers bewildered as to whether the male owned the dog or not and if he had been stolen.
In a further posting on its Facebook Page, PSNI Foyle said: “Further Clarification: I can see by the comments that people still have questions and queries.
“The wee pup was not stolen from the owner and the owner is a very caring and responsible dog owner who loves his wee dog.
“The owner trusted the person who had charge of the dog and would not have knowingly let the pup be put in harms way.
At the time of the incident Police were flagged down by very concerned and distraught members of the public.
“The suspect’s behaviour was absolutely appalling and he was arrested for Disorderly Behaviour.
“Given the initial reports and the initial playback the suspect was also arrested in relation to his treatment of the pup and the pup was taken into our care.
“When all the CCTV was collected and analysed there was no evidence of cruelty to the dog.
“Given the males erratic behaviour it is easy to see why people were concerned for the safety of the pup that was in his care.
“However, the CCTV shows no cruel actions being taken specifically against the dog.
“It was right for the public to get in touch and for Police to investigate the matter because you’d rather be Safe than Sorry.”
A PSNI officer with the rescued puppy who was taken Strand Road police station
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