“This was a particularly tough situation. We love animals and we empathize with them,” said Maureen Prendergast, director of outreach and investigation at the Bedford Animal Rescue League. “Obviously this dog suffered.”
Police said an unidentified man and woman abandoned the dog at the Route 101 shelter around 7 p.m. on Sunday. An employee discovered the female dog in a mulched area outside of the rear portion of the building Monday morning — about 12 hours after it was left there.
“This was pretty emotional,” said Prendergast. Staff members contacted police about the case, which was reported as a possible animal cruelty offense.
Video surveillance showed when the couple dropped off the dog. They carried the animal to the rear door of the facility and placed her on the ground before laying a blanket on top of the pet, said Prendergast.
“You could see the dog wag her tail a little bit. Here is this sweet soul completely innocent and then you watch her crawling after the couple and following them as they leave,” she said, adding the golden retriever was unable to use its two hind legs. “She wanted to go with them.”
After crawling around, the dog eventually moved to a mulch area in the rear exterior of the property.
“We watched this unfold on video and were heartbroken that we could not have helped at the time,” Prendergast said.
The golden retriever was the fourth animal to be abandoned outside of the facility during August. A cat was left in a carrier a few days ago while the shelter was open during normal business hours, and a guinea pig was left in a cage outside of the facility as well.
In addition, a different dog was left outside about two weeks ago, however that pet was tied to the door of the building and was in good physical condition.
The golden retriever, however, did not have use of its rear legs, had a double ear infection, had progressive dental disease, overgrown toenails and possibly some spinal issues, according to shelter officials.
Prendergast said the dog, probably 10 or 12 years old, could have had cancer, and did not move once it was safely indoors and lying on a dog bed.
Bedford police said the animal refused to eat or drink, and had to be euthanized because of its poor medical condition and long period of neglect.
“This is an extremely disturbing case where an innocent animal was abandoned and left to die,” Police Chief John Bryfonski said in a statement. “We are encouraging anyone with information about this incident, or who may have seen something, to give us a call right away.”
No arrests were made by Friday afternoon, and authorities are continuing to investigate.
Prendergast said it is not clear whether the couple that dropped off the dog actually owned the pet, or whether they had found the dog and brought it to the shelter during off-hours. Regardless, she said it is critical that if pet owners feel they have no other choice but to let go of their animals, that they call the closest animal shelter first.
“We just ask that they call us and tell us their situation and we can get help for the dog,” said Prendergast. “We are here to help, and we want to educate the public and understand the history of the dog, which helps us in relocating the pet.”
Anyone with information about the case is urged to call police at 472-5113. The couple that left the dog at the shelter was driving a blue four-door sedan.
(Union Leader - September 1, 2017)
Earlier:
No comments:
Post a Comment