By Nicole Burns
The North Gwinnett Voice has learned that on December 30, 2018, at approximately 11:30 p.m. two officers observed a vehicle on Breckinridge Boulevard in Duluth pull off quickly. Officers David Leigh and Joshua Bowie then saw a small dog running after the vehicle.
As the little dog was trying to keep up with the vehicle, the officers pulled over the vehicle in question. When the driver got out of his vehicle, he had the dog’s collar in his hand.
While the officers were speaking with the driver, the little dog was able to catch up and sat down near the driver. The man identified as Matthew Sanders, age 27 of Stone Mountain told the officers that he was getting rid of his dog because he would not listen to him.
He said, “I don’t want to keep him with me if he won’t listen. I could take him with me, but … he poops around the house.”
Sanders went on to explain that he was moving out of his current apartment and that the complex was going to charge him a pet deposit.
He further told police, “I came out here to see if he would go away, to go out on his own, but he doesn’t seem to want to go out on his own.”
The officers arrested Sanders for Abandonment of a Dog, Reckless Conduct, No Headlights, Tag Required, and Violation of Georgia’s Leash Law.
Gwinnett County Animal Welfare took the small dog who is named Prince. The dog has an adoption hold on him and just as soon as the mandatory hold period is up, Prince can be united with his new owners.
The officers’ supervisor, Sgt. Justin Richey said, “Since the abandoned dog was dropped off on a major roadway, it is doubtful that the dog would have survived whether it was hit by a car, starved, or succumbed to the weather.”
