"He died a horrific death and no animal deserves that," said Clinton Humane Society Operations Manager Sandi Bartels. Behind a home on the 600 block of 7th Avenue South in Clinton humane society officials made the grim discovery. The helpless animal was left locked inside a wire crate, in the elements, starved to death.
"My first thought was no animal deserves this, except maybe the animals that did it to him," added Bartels.
A humane society board member got word of the situation and, hearing nothing had been done for who knows how long, members went to investigate. They found the crate with the dog curled up inside surrounded by piles of garbage.
"The crate was just sitting amongst that and the dog was just terribly emaciated from starving," said Bartels. She says the dog may be a white boxer and she isn't sure how long the animal had been there.
The home is currently empty. Neighbors a few houses down are shocked and saddened that nothing was done to save him.
"I think it's just horrible. If I knew that I would have gone over and got him and taken him in," said Jacquelene Jansen.
"You would think one of the neighbors would have heard something," said Nancy Carter who owns a rental property nearby, "noticed something, and went over there to help the dog out. usually they do something if they're hungry and starving in a little cage."
Clinton police are investigating. Officers say they know the two people who previously lived in the home no longer live in the city, but aren't sure how long they've been gone or if he was their animal. Humane society staffers are concerned still having found records from two years ago of a different dog at this home.
"We don't know if there were any other animals and with the house being empty and locked there could be other animals inside," said Bartels.
Humane Society members hope to get someone with the city to take a look inside the home. Clinton police say whomever is responsible faces animal cruelty charges.
(KWQC - April 18, 2013)
