Two men connected with an alleged animal cruelty case have different stories regarding what happened to a dog left duct taped on the side of a road. Our C.J. Spang has more.

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WASHINGTON COUNTY, N.Y. -- Shane Morehouse, 52, of Ft. Edward, has been charged with animal cruelty and abandonment after allegedly leaving Chubby, a Malamute mix, bound with duct tape on the side of a road in Argyle. The dog's owner, Louis Hart of Hudson Falls, hasn't been charged in the case.

Morehouse admits to duct taping and leaving the dog, but says Hart told him to kill Chubby because he couldn't financially afford to care for him.

"He told me that he needed some help with his dog," Morehouse said. "So I went over to his house and he told me that he couldn't afford to have the dog put to sleep and he couldn't afford to have the dog fixed. And then when I get there, he wants me to take the dog and put tape on the dog's mouth and put tape on the dog so he couldn't breathe to kill him."

Hart declined to speak with us on camera, but says he believed Chubby was going to die soon. He says he gave the dog to Morehouse to give to his nephew so the dog could have room to run before dying peacefully. Hart says he loved Chubby and never told Morehouse to kill him.

Morehouse says he couldn't kill Chubby and assumed someone would find him. He says a brain injury he suffered years ago still affects him, which is partially why he didn't know he could get the dog help instead.

"That's what you get trying to help somebody," Morehouse said. "I made a mistake. I did wrong. I'll admit I did wrong. But I put the dog where the dog could be found. I'm very sorry. I did wrong to get involved in anything like that."

Chubby has since been euthanized after vets discovered he had late-stage cancer. State police say Chubby also had neck wounds believed to be caused by a collar that was too small.

Hart says no one told him about that when he took the dog for checkups. Employees at a local animal hospital say they told Hart multiple times that Chubby should wear a harness instead, because his collar and chain were causing problems.