Man arrested for abandoning dog without food or water in motel room

CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. – On the evening of January 1, the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office and the Ontario County Humane Society went to the Cedar Lodge in the Town of Hopewell after getting a report of a whining dog in distress. They found an abandoned dog in one of the rooms.

Authorities say the tenant, 53-year-old John D. Kirby Jr., was evicted from the motel two days earlier and left the two-year-old male American Staffordshire Bulldog in the room without food or water. The floor was covered in feces.

The dog, named Peppy, was seized and taken to the Ontario County Humane Society where he is being cared for. Authorities say Kirby never contacted the lodge or shelter to claim the dog.

Kirby Jr. was arrested at 40 ½ Phoenix Street in Canandaigua and charged with failure to provide food and water to an impounded animal. He was issued an appearance ticket to appear in Hopewell Town Court and released. Other charges are pending.