Toronto police have a released a photo of the man they allege wrapped a three-month-old puppy in plastic bags and threw the animal in a garbage can.

The incident is being investigated as an act of animal cruelty.

It happened July 11 at approximately 3:40 p.m. outside of the Lawrence Square shopping centre, according to a police news release.

Surveillance footage captured the man walking in the area with dark bag, the release says.

Josh Miller was entering the building around the same time and heard the animal yelping from inside the garbage.

Josh Miller, who found the abandoned dog, rushed it immediately to a nearby veterinarian. The dog survived. (Submitted)

As he first told CBC Toronto last week, Miller found the three-month-old Yorkie puppy wrapped in five separate plastic bags.

"It was a pretty sickening feeling," Miller said in an interview last week.

But the puppy was alive and Miller quickly removed it from the garbage and rushed it to a nearby veterinarian.

It has since been a adopted by a friend of Miller's and is recovering.

Anyone with information about the incident is being urged to contact police or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers.