LILBURN, Ga. — Two men are facing animal cruelty charges after Lilburn police say they are responsible for leaving a dog tied up on a back patio for nearly a week, causing the dog’s death.

Tammy Davidson says she rarely lets her rescue dog, Lucky, out of her sight.

“If I wasn’t home I’d never leave her outside,” she said.

She says it’s disappointing that a neighbor’s dog in Lilburn died after police say it was left out in the heat.

“These things are living creatures and have to be treated as such,” Davidson said.

Channel 2′s Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson went to the house on Main Street in Lilburn where police arrested the homeowner for felony animal cruelty on Wednesday night.

Hai Nguyen gave Johnson a photo from 2020 of the border collie he says died Saturday night.

He says the dog belonged to an ex-tenant who moved out of his in-law suite and left his dog behind, still tied up in the back patio.

“(I) bring the food to the dog to eat and the next day I come out the dog died,” Nguyen said.

He says he called animal control on Sunday and ended up facing a felony charge by Wednesday.

“He leave the dog on the back and I didn’t know,” Nguyen said.

Lilburn Police Capt. Scott Bennett says both Nguyen and the tenant have been charged with animal cruelty.

The tenant has yet to turn himself in.

“Both the landlord and the tenant bear some responsibility for the dog’s welfare,” Bennett said. “The dog was left outside for five to six days and the temperatures have been extremely high.”

Johnson spoke to Nguyen after he posted bond Thursday morning.

He said he hopes his charges are dropped once this goes to court.