A former Philly cop will serve probation and never own a dog again after pleading guilty to ditching a starving dog in the woods of Northwest Philadelphia.
Officer Michael Long, whose trial was scheduled for May, entered a negotiated guilty plea to misdemeanor animal cruelty charges for abandoning his emaciated dog in the woods just before Thanksgiving in 2016.
Long, of the 8200 block of Michener Avenue, will serve one year of probation. He was fired from the Philadelphia Police Department after he was originally charged when investigators traced the dog’s microchip back to Long’s address.
The dog was found in a trash bag in the Wissahickon by a Good Samaritan who called the PSPCA. She was renamed Cranberry.
“The PSPCA’s Humane Law Enforcement Team, and everyone who cares about animals and their welfare, should count today’s guilty plea as a victory,” PSPCA Director of Humane Law Enforcement Nicole Wilson said in a statement. “While we may never know why this brutal crime was committed, we have an admission of guilt, and perhaps most importantly, Cranberry’s life was saved. We are proud to report that she now lives in a safe home where she is loved and will never be the victim of such cruelty again.”
Long was also recently revealed to be on former DA Seth Williams’ secret “do not call” list of 29 Philadelphia cops, 20 of whom have been fired or quit (including Long) and nine of whom are still on active duty, who Williams’ office did not trust to testify in court.
Long had reportedly adopted Cranberry in August 2016 from ACCT Philly. When he abandoned her, she was reportedly suffering from a number of issues due to not receiving sufficient sustenance, and was in serious need of veterinary care.
Cranberry has since been rehabilitated and adopted out to a new home, the PSPCA said
