A man tied a dog to a bench outside 821 S. El Paso Street on the evening of July 30 and simply walked off, leaving the animal behind in South Downtown El Paso. El Paso police are now asking the public to help identify him, and Crime Stoppers is dangling a possible cash reward for any tip that leads to an arrest.
Surveillance footage timestamped 6:44 p.m. shows the unidentified man tying the dog to the bench before leaving the scene, according to Crime Stoppers of El Paso. El Paso Animal Services was called out to the address that same evening to respond to the abandoned canine. Crime Stoppers says anyone with information can call 915-566-8477, use the free P3 Tips app, or submit a tip online at cselpaso.org, and all tipsters remain anonymous.
Crime Stoppers publicized the case Wednesday, timing its public appeal to National Dog Day, an annual observance founded in 2004 by animal welfare advocate Colleen Paige to draw attention to pet adoption and rescue needs, according to National Dog Day. It is not the first time the organization has leaned on a public appeal to crack an abandonment case: in August 2023, Crime Stoppers sought help identifying a man who left a dog outside the El Paso Police Academy before fleeing in a late-1990s Jeep Grand Cherokee, per KTSM 9 News.
What the Suspect Could Face Under Texas Law
Unreasonably abandoning an animal in one's custody without arranging for someone else to take over its care is classified as a Class A misdemeanor under Texas Penal Code § 42.092, punishable by up to a year in county jail and a fine of as much as $4,000. The offense escalates to a state jail felony if the person has two prior animal cruelty convictions, per the statute.
A conviction would also trigger a longer-lasting consequence. Under Texas House Bill 598, which took effect in September 2023, anyone convicted of an animal cruelty offense — including non-livestock abandonment — is barred from owning, possessing, or living with a domesticated animal for five years afterward. Violating that ownership ban is itself a separate criminal offense under state law.
A Shelter System Already Stretched Thin
The abandonment adds one more animal to a local system already under strain. El Paso Animal Services had logged more than 24,000 animal intakes for the fiscal year by mid-August, leaving its municipal shelters over capacity with more than 600 dogs and 300 cats in care, according to KTSM 9 News. The pressure isn't unique to El Paso — ASPCA and Shelter Animals Count data released in February found that roughly 5.8 million animals, including 2.8 million dogs, entered U.S. shelters in 2025, with shelters nationwide reporting longer stays and persistent space shortages.
Local nonprofits are also absorbing part of the overflow. The Humane Society of El Paso, a private no-kill shelter, took in 2,425 animals in 2025, placed 2,236 into permanent homes, and coordinated foster placements for another 1,024. El Paso city leaders moved to tighten enforcement earlier this year, when the City Council approved two new ordinances in January aimed at strengthening protections for pets and for Animal Protection Officers, according to KTSM 9 News.
Residents who spot animal abandonment, neglect, or other welfare concerns in El Paso can report them to El Paso Animal Services by dialing 311 or calling the department's field line at 915-212-7297, a resource Hoodline detailed earlier this year amid a wave of local pet-mistreatment reports. For now, the man seen walking away from the bench on South El Paso Street remains unidentified, and police are counting on the public to change that.
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