In the end, Weathersfield police cited Marchese for abandoning an animal.

A judge reduced it to a simple misdemeanor of an animal running at large and issued her a fine.

While the case is now closed, it leaves open an obvious question, what should someone in that situation do?



"Call the police department where you are," says Mahoning County Dog Warden Dianne Fry. "All of our local departments are police kennel code, so somebody or even one of our staff, if no one else is available, can meet you here and get the dog inside our police kennel."