NYPD officers save puppy's life after owner threw it off a ledge

Officers with the New York City Police Department helped save a puppy’s life after it was thrown off a ledge.

Police said the dog, a 1-year-old miniature poodle named Rocket, sustained “horrific” injuries in the incident.

The NYPD told Scripps News police had responded to reports of a female dog owner who injured her dog in Manhattan on May 16. Once on the scene, they found her holding a severely hurt puppy.

Police identified the dog owner as 26-year-old Cleopatra Morgan.

In body camera footage shared by the NYPD on X, officer Kelsey Garcia is seen in tears holding Rocket as she assesses his condition.

“She threw him. He’s in shock. He’s bleeding from the mouth. He’s breathing, though,” the officer said. “It's shallow, but he’s breathing. He’s not responding.”

Police rushed the puppy to the nearest American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals facility for medical attention.

In the video, Garcia is shown cradling Rocket until handing him off to professionals at the ASPCA facility.

The NYPD said officers from the 33rd precinct, which serves the Washington Heights section of northern Manhattan, saved the puppy’s life.

“Thanks to their actions, Rocket is alive today,” the NYPD said on X.

A spokesperson for the ASPCA told Scripps News that when Rocket arrived, he was bleeding from his mouth, had a very unstable heart rate and blood pressure, and had a fractured femur.

"Rocket was immediately treated with various types of intravenous fluids to address his traumatic brain injury and shock and was given pain medication. Due to the severity of his injuries, Rocket was temporarily transferred to the Animal Medical Center, an ASPCA veterinary partner, so he could receive expert care from their critical care and neurology specialists," the spokesperson said.

Rocket had an emergency blood transfusion to address a hemoabdomen, which is bleeding in the stomach, the ASPCA spokesperson said. He was later transferred back to the ASPCA animal hospital, where he underwent surgery on his leg.

Rocket will now undergo several weeks of physical therapy.

"Rocket will remain in the ASPCA’s care as he continues to receive treatment for very serious injuries. Rocket has a long road to recovery, and we’re doing everything we can to help him," the ASPCA spokesperson said. "It is thanks to the quick action of the NYPD officers who came to his rescue, and the expert care he’s been receiving at the ASPCA Animal Hospital and the Animal Medical Center, that Rocket is still with us today."

The NYPD said Morgan has been charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, torture/injure/not feeding animals, criminal possession of a weapon and false personation.