Labrador Retriever and Kitten Left on Side of Road to Die

A dog and kitten were allegedly left outside in the freezing cold to die.

That is the allegation facing a couple in the Oswego County town of Fulton, New York.

47-Year-old William Lasher and 48-year-old Robin Lasher are being accused of leaving a young female Labrador retriever and a kitten on the side of Route 48 in Lysander. The pets were discovered early Monday morning by a hunter who immediately called authorities.

WIBX spoke with Paul Morgan, Executive Director of the Central New York SPCA [NOTE: A tone has been placed over the description of the suspects' address and listeners are reminded that all suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.]:

The kitten was left in a cat carrier and the dog was loose. The dog did, however, remain with the kitten.

Morgan says, after taking the animals in, they reached out to the public for information identifying the pets' possible owners. Tips came in shortly thereafter and CNY SPCA officers, empowered to make such arrests, formally charged the Lashers.

Without knowing the exact hour that the animals were left outside, Meteorologist Ray Stagich from The Weather Channel says that temperatures in Lysander hovered near five degrees Fahrenheit in the early morning hours of January 26, 2015.

Photo Credit: CNY SPCA

The dog is now said to be in "average condition," and about fifteen to twenty pounds underweight, but the Central New York SPCA says that she is expected to survive.

The kitten had frozen to death before being discovered by the hunter.

Morgan says that the Lashers, when questioned, admitted to leaving the animals. He said their original intent was to drop the animals off with the SPCA but, for reasons that are still unknown, they did not do so. They said that the cat was alive when it was left roadside.

William Lasher and Robin Lasher are scheduled to appear in court next month to answer to charges. Both are facing two counts each of failure to provide proper sustenance for an animal, an act of cruelty, abandonment, and one count of permitting the unjustifiable death of an animal. They are scheduled to appear in court on February 25, 2015 to answer the charges, all of which are misdemeanors.

Morgan says the CNY SPCA is always available to receive tips about animals in need of assistance or who may be the victims of abuse. Central New York residents can call: (315) 454.3469 to report abuse or visit their website at: cnyspca.org.