In a sad twist to a story about a man and his best friend, actor Nick Santino committed suicide after being forced to euthanize his healthy pit-bull-mix, Rocco.
According to reports, Nick, who is noted for his acting appearances on soap operas such as “The Guiding Light” and “All My Children” was forced to get rid of his dog under pressure from his Upper West Side apartment complex.
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The actor euthanized the dog, and then a week later, under the guilt of “Betraying his best friend” killed himself.
The New York Post reports:
Nick Santino euthanized his dog, Rocco, Tuesday — on Santino’s 47th birthday. That night, his guilt over the gut-wrenching decision became too much to bear.
“Today I betrayed my best friend and put down my best friend,” a despondent Santino wrote in a suicide note, said close friend Stuart Sarnoff.
“Rocco trusted me and I failed him. He didn’t deserve this.”
The Brooklyn-born Santino — a struggling actor whose TV credits include “All My Children” and “Guiding Light” — adopted Rocco from a shelter several years ago.
The man, raised in an orphanage and foster homes, soon began to write about his pet on Facebook, writing, “I did not rescue Rocco, Rocco rescued me.”
But in 2010, his building at 1 Lincoln Plaza announced strict new dog regulations, including a ban on pit bulls. The ban didn’t apply to pit bulls already in the building, but friends and neighbors said Santino began to be harassed.
After months of increasing anguish, Santino had the healthy dog put to sleep Tuesday.
Neighbors said a tearful Santino brought dog treats to the building’s doorman and said: “Give these to the other dogs. Rocco is no more.”
Dog owner James Steven Grant said Santino left two rawhide bones on his doorstep and earlier was seen tearfully giving away Rocco’s fluffy bed.
This is truly a tragic story of a bond between man and dog. Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this time.
SOURCE: New York Post
