CCTV Fails To Confirm Puppy was Thrown Out of Car on A4
Footage shows greyhound being struck by vehicle which failed to stop
Sally, the four month old greyhound. Picture: Instagram
Initial reports that a missing puppy was stolen and thrown from a moving car in Chiswick may have been inaccurate, the Metropolitan Police have said, as officers continue to investigate how the dog came to be fatally struck on the A4.
A four-month-old Italian greyhound, bolted on the evening of Sunday 24 May after being startled by two boys riding bikes. Her owners, Sam Lindley and Lara Pitavino, searched for her late into the night and launched an online appeal for help.
The following morning, they received a devastating call from a local vet: Sally had been handed in deceased. The vet told the couple that the people who had found her had said that Sally was seen being thrown from a car window near the Safestore and Porsche garage on the Great West Road.
The couple have since spoken to two teenagers who were among the first to reach Sally on the A4. They described finding her lying on her back but not visibly injured at that point, and said they tried to stop traffic before she was hit by two cars that did not stop. One of the teenagers reportedly stepped into the road to retrieve her body.
The account circulated rapidly on social media and was later repeated in national press coverage, prompting widespread concern about a possible theft and deliberate act of cruelty.
However, police now say that their enquiries have found no evidence to support the claim that Sally was thrown from a vehicle or stolen.
The Met states it received a report on Monday that a dog had run off from its owners in Chiswick Village the previous evening and then was found dead by the westbound junction at 9:15pm close to Havard Road.
"Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, quoting CAD4244/25MAY."
Some details remain unresolved. Sally’s collar and lead have not been found, despite extensive searching by her owners. The collar, they say, was secure and would have required two hands to remove. They have hired a private investigator to help locate any additional CCTV before it is overwritten.
A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: “We are unaware of this incident but would ask anyone who has first-hand information about this to contact the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.”
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