The owner of Arnie the German shepherd has been hit by more charges after the dog was allegedly left in a car to die after being reported as stolen to police. 

Nathan McKeown, 43, was charged on November 19 with one count of breach of duty of care of animal by failing to provide after Arnie was found dead two days earlier in a ute parked in Fortitude Valley, in the heart of Brisbane’s nightlife hub. 

It came after McKeown featured in a viral campaign begging for help to find Arnie, who was reportedly stolen in his ute as it was parked outside a Wynnum home, in Brisbane ‘s east, between 1.30am and 5am on November 8.

Queensland Police on Thursday revealed McKeown has since been charged with three new offences, including driving a motor vehicle without a driver licence demerit points, driving under the influence, and serious obstruction of police.

Last month, McKeown and his wife launched a viral social media campaign and offered a $6,000 reward for Arnie’s return after he reportedly vanished along with the ute while the 43-year-old was sleeping at his friend’s home. 

The alleged ute theft captured the hearts of Australians who rallied to support the family and flooded their inboxes with possible Arnie sightings. 

Police will allege McKeown drove the vehicle into Amelia Street in Fortitude Valley shortly after 10.30pm on November 7 and left the vehicle on foot, while Arnie was inside the vehicle.

McKeown then allegedly told his wife the car was stolen the following day, and she made a report to police.

Police will allege his wife was not aware the car was never stolen. 

Last month, the Daily Mail revealed McKeown had been arrested and that police are investigating claims he had attended an inner Brisbane brothel on the night Arnie was allegedly abandoned. 

Footage – which has been seen by the Daily Mail and viewed by the police – shows McKeown arriving at the brothel, almost 5km from where his ute was later found, about 9.30pm on November 7.

The CCTV shows McKeown wearing a coral T-shirt, beige cargo shorts, brown thongs and the same camouflage-coloured hat featured in a photograph widely circulated in the media amid the search for Arnie.

McKeown allegedly paid for a 45-minute service, left the premises, then returned again around 2.30am.

He left a short time later after female sex workers reportedly refused to take his booking.

Previously speaking to the Daily Mail, the manager of the brothel said one of their workers saw McKeown on the Today show during one of his public appeals.

They claimed to immediately recognise him as a customer from the night of November 7.

The woman reported it to management, who filed a report with police following McKeown’s arrest.

‘He came in and booked a lady and stayed with that lady,’ the manager claimed.

‘We found it difficult to remove him and all he could talk about was that he had lost his car, but there was no talk of his dog [being inside it].’

The day after Arnie vanished, McKeown said the dog’s disappearance had left him, his wife, and their daughter heartbroken.

‘I don’t know how nobody has seen the car,’ he told the Daily Mail at the time.

‘I went down a few tracks where I know they dump cars and stolen utes. It’s either been abandoned in the bush or in a carpark or in a property.

‘I’ve been driving around, finding leads, chasing down CCTV, my phone has been hopping. It was heart-wrenching. Just gutted. 

‘Arnie is a beautiful-natured dog. He’s been in the family since he was eight weeks old.’

McKeown will face a Brisbane court later this month.