N.Y. Gov. Cuomo faces one last outcry on final day in office -- over his dog

Aug. 23 (UPI) -- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo officially leaves office on Monday, but not before he was forced to deal with one last public outcry.

Cuomo's final day is on Monday and he was scheduled to give a farewell address at noon EDT. He will be succeeded in the post by Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who will be New York's first female governor.

Cuomo leaves under the cloud of a sexual harassment scandal and had faced the near-certain prospect of impeachment from the New York legislature.

A top aide said Cuomo has "no interest in running for office again," according to CNBC.

In one last controversy, the Albany Times-Union reported that Cuomo left his dog behind at the governor's mansion in Albany and asked staffers to care for him. Movers were spotted at the mansion late last week.

According to Times-Union, the shepherd, Siberian and malamute mix named "Captain" has nipped at a few people since 2018.

Cuomo's office, however, has rejected claims that the dog was left behind.

"Captain is part of the governor's family and for your nameless ill-informed source to imply they've been trying to give him away is untrue," adviser and Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopardi told the Times-Union.

"Someone offered to watch him for a few days while the transition was ongoing but for that to be weaponized ... is absurd."

Cuomo announced his resignation on Aug. 10 after a report by Attorney General Letitia James' office that found he'd sexually harassed nearly a dozen women in recent years. Cuomo has repeatedly denied the accusations.

"I work for you, and doing the right thing is doing the right thing for you," Cuomo said at the time. "As we say, it's not about me, it's about we."