Massapequa Couple Charged with Neglecting Dog

A Massapequa couple have been accused of leaving a collar on a dog so long that it became embedded in its neck, Nassau County prosecutors said.

Joseph Cione, 41, and Tsra Cione, 33, were arrested Wednesday morning.

According to Prosecutors, they obtained a 3-month-old Neapolitan Masstiff named "Athena" last year and planned to give it away recently.

In June, they contacted a veterinarian asking him to take care of a wound on the dog's neck. 

The vet went to the Cione's home and found flies buzzing around Athena, who had a deep wound that was infected, prosecutors said.

After doing a surgical exploration of the wound, the vet discovered a metal collar was embedded into Athena's neck and had adhered to her trachea, prosecutors said. 

Even though the dog's neck had grown over the collar, the vet was able to do surgery to remove it and alerted authorities.

The couple was charged with overdriving, torturing and injuring animals, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison.

Athena has been turned over to NeoRescue, a Non-profit that protects Neopolitan Mastiffs.