Man charged over allegedly abandoning Arnie the German shepherd in car after claiming dog and vehicle were stolen
Nathan McKeown with Arnie the German shepherd. (Supplied)
A man who claimed his dog had been stolen from a Brisbane home has been charged over abandoning his pet, which was later found dead.
Queensland Police had been investigating the alleged theft of a vehicle and Arnie the German shepherd from Wynnum on Saturday, November 8.
The 43-year-old owner of the vehicle, Nathan McKeown, who had been assisting police, has now been charged and police will allege that the car was not stolen.
Police allege Mr McKeown drove the vehicle into Fortitude Valley at about 10:30pm on November 7 and left the vehicle on foot, with Arnie inside.
The next morning he allegedly told his partner the vehicle had been stolen from Wynnum.
The woman, who police say was not aware her partner had allegedly taken the vehicle, reported the car and dog as stolen to police.
Arnie the German shepherd was found dead inside the vehicle in Fortitude Valley. (Supplied)
The car was found by a member of the public parked on Amelia Street in Fortitude Valley at 4pm on November 17.
Arnie was was found dead inside the vehicle.
Mr McKeown was charged with one count of breach of duty of care of animal by failing to provide under the Animal Protection Act.
The matter is expected to appear before a Brisbane Court next month and investigations remain ongoing.
"Police are aware this has been a highly publicised case, and offences of this nature may cause distress and upset members of the public," police said in a statement.
"The Queensland Police Service (QPS) requests that the public are respectful of the matter's progression through the courts."
The ute was found on Amelia Street in Fortitude Valley. (ABC News: Lucy Loram)
Owner said he was searching for dog
Previously, Mr McKeown had been appealing for help from the public in what he characterised as a search for his dog.
Speaking to the ABC on November 10 he claimed to have noticed his car had been stolen when he got up to go to work at about 5am on November 8.
Mr McKeown said Arnie was sleeping in the car because he did not get on with the other dog at his friend's home, where he had claimed to be staying.
"Hopefully he's found. I don't care about the ute," he said.
Mr McKeown previously appealed to the public to assist with the search for Arnie. (Supplied)
Mr McKeown spoke to the ABC again on November 14, claiming he had received a "few leads" in the alleged search, with people saying they had seen his ute being driven around.
"These little brazen brats are still driving it, with Arnie inside," he claimed.
He again urged the community to keep an eye out for the vehicle and thanked people for their offers of donations, although said he had not been accepting any.
"The community has been awesome," he said.
People from around the country had initially rallied around Mr McKeown's calls for help, with the plea for help going viral on social media.
It even sparked an online petition, which gathered almost 50,000 signatures, calling on the government to introduce a new law which would make it a specific criminal offence to cause the death of an animal during another crime.