A witness who reported seeing someone throw a 4-month-old puppy to its death from a moving vehicle on Garden of the Gods Road Friday morning is now the “prime suspect” in the dog’s death, the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region said.

“The suspect had told investigators he saw the puppy thrown from an SUV. In response to further questioning by Animal Law Enforcement officers, he conceded he made the story up,” the humane society said in a news release. “Animal Law Enforcement officers are continuing to investigate the case and question the suspect.”

The humane society said officers spent the day investigating the case, including reviewing surveillance video from security cameras in the area where the witness claimed to have picked the puppy up.

“Over the course of the investigation, officers perceived discrepancies in the story reported by the witness,” the humane society said. “The witness is now the prime suspect in the case. Officers are attempting to piece together what caused the severe internal injuries and trauma that resulted in the puppy’s death.”

Humane Society spokeswoman Gretchen Pressley said veterinarians worked to save the blue merle Australian cattle dog for several hours.

Pressley said veterinarians used an oxygen tent and tapped the dog’s chest to relieve air and blood that had entered the chest cavity. The puppy was coughing up blood when it arrived at the Humane Society’s surgery center. The puppy did not survive due to the extent of her internal injuries, she said.

“Everyone here is pretty sad about it,” Pressley said.

The man who claimed to have witnessed the incident said he was leaving a restaurant when the dog was thrown from the vehicle, which he described as a newer, dark gray, small SUV.

Whoever is responsible for the puppy’s death could face felony cruelty to animal charges.

Earlier Friday, Pressley said her office does not know who the owner of the puppy is as it did not have any identifying tags at the time of the incident.

“We’re hoping if we get the word out that someone will call in and have some information for us,” Pressley said before a suspect was identified.

Anybody with information that might help with the investigation should call 719-473-1741.

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