CCTV Fails To Confirm Puppy was Thrown Out of Car on 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 were told that Sally had been handed in deceased to a local vet. The vet told the couple that the people who had found her had said that Sally was seen being thrown from a car window on the A4 Great West Road on the carriageway on the other side of the road from Safestore and Porsche garage.

The couple have since spoken to two teenagers who were among the first to reach Sally on the A4 near Harvard Road. 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.

A police spokesperson said, "Officers have conducted initial enquiries including speaking to witnesses and reviewing local CCTV. Enquiries continue to establish the circumstances of the incident.

Analysis has been made of the CCTV footage covering the area and it does not show Sally being thrown from a car. However, the police say that she was struck by a vehicle which failed to stop at the scene. 

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.”