Chihuahua allegedly thrown from vehicle in Massachusetts

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Two New Bedford, Mass., residents were charged with felony animal abuse and abandonment last week after allegedly throwing a pet chihuahua out the window of a moving SUV. Meanwhile, the dog, a female named Princess, became the center of an adoption frenzy, as the shelter to which she was taken fielded more than 100 calls and e-mails from potential new owners.

Shortly after Princess was seen falling from the SUV, the vehicle returned, and a witness was able to take down its license plate number. After tracing the plate, authorities arrested Jimmy Correa, 24, and Jenny Torres, 31. From South Coast Today:

A witness also reported hearing Correa say [upon returning to the scene]: ‘Look at that stupid dog. It’s still in the same place where we left it,’ court records said.
Torres said through her lawyer that she was not in the vehicle when Correa allegedly threw the dog from the window. She said she had been dropped off earlier at a grocery store.

When Correa picked her up, Torres said she noticed the dog was gone and asked to go to the neighborhood where he had abandoned her. She said they did not find the dog anywhere.

Her statements contradicted witnesses who reported to police that they saw a man and a woman matching the defendants’ descriptions inside the vehicle when the Chihuahua was abandoned.

Correa and Torres relinquished ownership of Princess to the local animal control department, and she was taken to area shelter Forever Paws. ‘It’s been absolutely crazy,’ shelter employee Liz Tidwell told South Coast Today about the outpouring of public interest in the little dog, who was not injured in the incident. But things got weirder from there, as Correa and Torres later denied that Princess was thrown at all. They now claim that a misunderstanding is to blame for all the fuss -- and they want the dog back.

Correa now says that he borrowed Torres’ SUV -- with Princess inside -- to meet someone. He denies Torres was present during the incident and says the dog wasn’t thrown at all, but instead jumped when he opened the door.

Further, Correa alleges, neither he nor Torres called the dog ‘stupid’ -- according to his story, he picked up Torres when Princess escaped, and she called him ‘stupid’ for losing the dog.

Oh, and when they signed over ownership of Princess to animal control? Another misunderstanding. Apparently the dog belongs to Torres’ 4-year-old daughter, who’s heartbroken. ‘She’s been crying ever since,’ Correa told the local NBC News affiliate. ‘We want the dog back, but they’re not going to give it back.’

Instead, Forever Paws says Princess will go to a new home within the next few weeks.

--Lindsay Barnett

Video: MyFoxBoston.com