Animal Cruelty Arrest in Case of Cat Rescued by Dog
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From: News Channel 13
By: Dan Levy
There’s been an arrest in a disturbing case of animal cruelty. While the suspect awaits his Monday morning court appearance, a Troy woman is reflecting on the heartwarming irony involved in solving the case, a set of circumstances that proves curiosity saved the cat.
To understand why Michael T. Walsh, 48, of Albany, was seen running down State Street in Troy Thursday afternoon, you need to know what happened in a North Troy alley way one week ago, on December 23, while Melissa Lombardo was taking her pitbull Phoebe for a morning walk.
Melissa recalls, “Phoebe kind of pulled me in a direction toward a (cardboard) box and was sniffing around the box and she poked her nose through it. That’s when I saw the cat’s head peeking back out at me. Then I saw it was taped up and I knew that someone had intentionally done it.”
And so Melissa immediately called police. Police began an investigation. The investigation led to media coverage.
Troy Police Captain John Cooney says, “We received outrage from the citizenry and we received many signs of disgust from the workforce.”
Some of the disgust came from a Troy woman who couldn’t care for the kitten and asked her friend Michael Walsh to bring it to the Humane Society so that someone else could adopt it. Instead, Walsh allegedly tossed it into an alley in Lansingburgh.
Arrest Made in Animal Cruelty Case
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Captain Cooney says Walsh told investigators he thought the cat would be found in the alley and that may have prevented the animal from being euthanized at the Humane Society.
The problem with that story though is that the box was taped shut and the abandonment came just a matter of hours before a city garbage truck would have come along and perhaps crushed the kitten alive.
Fortunately Melissa and her rescued dog Phoebe arrived first.
Melissa says, “We saved Phoebe and she saved the cat so it kind of came full circle which is nice because I wouldn’t have been in the alley if it hadn’t been for Phoebe.”
The kitten, named Jack-in-the-Box, is healthy, is scheduled to be neutered, and will be adopted next week.
Michael Walsh is facing three misdemeanor animal cruelty counts. He is due in Troy Police Court first thing Monday morning.
Melissa Lombardo is hoping someone will soon be able to adopt her curious pitbull Phoebe. You can find out more about adopting stray animals at www.RottieEmpireRescue.com
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Our Compass 
These stories are great, but sometimes “news” reports began as local and then when posted on the Web… we don’t know what state the story happened in? Maybe I missed it?
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No, you didn’t miss it, Katherine, but it’s Troy, New York. Thank you.
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