What to Know
- A Long Island man allegedly starved a dog to death — and forced the dog to eat food wrapped in plastic bags when he did feed it
- Prosecutors say the dog was 25 to 30 pounds underweight and had fly bite lesions on its ears
- Shelter staff also found an under-fed German Shepherd puppy in a metal kennel in the man’s backyard
A Long Island man allegedly starved a dog to death — and forced the dog to eat food wrapped in plastic bags when he did feed it, authorities say.
Harold Nichols, 70, of Uniondale, contacted the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter on Dec. 14 and told staff his 4-year-old German Shepherd had died, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office said.
When staff got to Nichols’ home, they discovered the dead dog in a backyard kennel with a door that was wired shut, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors say the dog was 25 to 30 pounds underweight and had fly bite lesions on its ears. When Nichols did feed the dog, he allegedly put food into a plastic newspaper bag and tossed the bag into the kennel, according to prosecutors.
A veterinary exam found plastic bags in the dog’s digestive tract, prosecutors said.
Shelter staff also found an under-fed German Shepherd puppy in a metal kennel in Nichols’ backyard, according to prosecutors. Nichols was allegedly feeding the puppy using the same plastic bag method.
Local
Nichols has been charged with two counts of overdriving, torturing and injuring animals and failure to provide proper sustenance, the DA’s office said. He is expected to appear in court on Thursday.
He hadn’t retained an attorney as of Wednesday, according to the DA’s office.
