A malnourished mixed-breed dog was discovered abandoned near Dawn Drive in Shirley last month, and Suffolk County investigators are now asking the public for help identifying whoever left her there. The female dog was found on August 24 and taken for medical treatment, according to Suffolk County police.
The case is being investigated jointly by Suffolk County police and the Suffolk County District Attorney's Biological, Environmental, and Animal Safety Team, better known as the BEAST unit, as reported by News12 New York. The specialized unit was created by District Attorney Ray Tierney in April 2022 as a dedicated 11-person team led by former Nassau County animal crimes chief Jed Painter, according to Patch. Prosecutors assigned to the unit are required to meet directly with animal victims and stay on-call for search warrants, per the same report.
Anyone with information can call police at 1-800-220-TIPS, and tip calls remain anonymous. Suffolk County Crime Stoppers, an independent non-profit partner of the police department established in 1994, is offering a cash reward for information leading to an arrest, with rewards for such tips reaching up to $5,000, according to Crime Stoppers of Suffolk County.
Digital Tip Options Now Available
Tipsters can also submit information through the P3 Tips mobile app or at P3Tips.com in addition to the phone hotline, the same channels used by Crime Stoppers, as reported by The South Shore Press. Those digital options give residents who prefer not to call a phone line another way to come forward anonymously.
Whoever abandoned the dog could face criminal exposure under New York's animal welfare statutes. New York law addresses abandoning an animal or leaving it in a public place, according to the New York State Senate. Separately, failing to provide proper sustenance to an animal is addressed under Section 353, per the New York City Bar Association.
Not the First Abandonment Near This Intersection
The article also discusses animal abandonment in Shirley.
Suffolk County has a long institutional history of trying to deter this kind of case. In October 2010, the county became the first municipality in the United States to pass legislation creating a public Animal Abuser Registry, intended to keep convicted animal abusers from adopting or acquiring pets, according to the Long Island Press. As of May 2025, county officials reported 30 individuals listed on that registry, per Newsday.
The Town of Brookhaven Animal Shelter and Adoption Center on Horseblock Road is also mentioned separately. The investigation into who abandoned the dog on Dawn Drive remains open, with police and the BEAST unit continuing to seek tips from the public.
