Police say a man tied up his own dog on a beach and left him to drown, but the man was rescued before the tide came in.
A not-guilty plea was entered on behalf of the man accused of abandoning his dog at a beach last month in Revere, Massachusetts.
Elias Pacheco Osario, 27, was arraigned in Chelsea District Court Tuesday for an animal cruelty charge. He is accused of chaining his 50 lb. pit bull mix -- named "Killer" -- to an exposed steel rod at the edge of Short Beach on the afternoon of Aug. 29.
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Had the dog not been found, he could have drowned when the tide came in, Massachusetts State Police said.
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The steel rebar rod was protruding from the bottom of the ramp from Winthrop Parkway to Short Beach. There was also a large rock attached to the chain to prevent the dog from escaping, police said.
Fortunately, someone saw the dog and called police. Detective work and video camera footage led authorities to arrest Pacheco Osario.
Pacheco Osario told NBC10 Boston through an interpreter that he was overwhelmed - he has a pregnant wife at home and the dog was fighting with his cat.
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“I did it because my mind was overwhelmed and I didn’t know what to do,” he said.
He said his landlord wanted the dog out and that he tried to reach out to animal shelters.
“I can’t deal with this anymore. I don’t know what to do so I sent emails, called the shelter - they didn’t answer - to see if I can leave the dog there," Pacheco Osario said. "And that’s why (made) my decision of leaving it there and I left it with food. And I know I did wrong.”
The dog is now being cared for at Ocean View Kennels in Revere.
Pacheco Osario was initially released on $340 cash bail. His next court date is on Nov. 3.
