ROSSVILLE — A 12-year-old Yorkie had to be put down after it was found tied up in a bag and left in a trash container outside a pizzeria, according to police and a witness.
The dog was discovered inside a Dumpster behind Rossville Pizza, at 960 Bloomingdale Road, on Wednesday night after Sandra D'Auria, 46, heard barking and checked through the bin with a friend.
"I just thought that an animal got in the garbage and they were looking for some food," said D'Auria, who was waiting outside the pizzeria for her daughter to finish work there.
"It's very sad that somebody purposely put a hurt animal inside a Dumpster and buried it."
D'Auria and her friend dug through the paper and saw a white bag with a nose peaking out. Her daughter came with a co-worker, who pulled the dog out of the bin around 11:30 p.m., according to police and D'Auria.
"The dog was wrapped in a brown towel and put in a white plastic bag," she said. "We put on her box and she was breathing. She was actually trying to sit."
Police took the dog to Greater Staten Island Veterinary Services, where she was euthanized the next day and taken to the ASPCA for examination, police said. The extent of the animal's injuries were not immediately clear.
No arrests have been made and an investigation is ongoing, the NYPD said.
