Police seek suspect after pup thrown out like trash

MASSACHUSETTS -- Animal cruelty investigators are going door to door in Springfield to find out who stuffed “Buffy,” an emaciated poodle, into a plastic bag and left her to die at a Springfield construction site.

“We’re dealing with a victim who can’t tell us about anything that’s happened to them,” said Rob Halpin of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The incident comes on the heels of the infamous “Puppy Doe” case, in which a severely tortured and emaciated pit bull had to be put down. Police still are trying to zero in on a suspect.

As alarming as it is to see another severe abuse case so soon after the heavily publicized Puppy Doe case, Halpin said, “The person who did this to this dog would not be moved, I imagine, by reading the coverage of Puppy Doe. What that says about this person is beyond my ability to comprehend."

Ken Bousquet Jr., who runs an excavating business in Ludlow, said that on Tuesday morning, the owner of a Springfield property where his crew was working heard breathing coming from a white bag in the basement foundation and had workers investigate.

“One of my employees ran up to me and said, ‘Hey there’s a dog in that bag!’ I said, ‘What do you mean there’s a dog in the bag?” Bousquet Jr. said.

One of his workers then drove the dog to the Dakin Humane Society in Springfield, where workers named the dog “Buffy.”

“She barely had her eyes open; she looked like she was going to die,” said Bousquet Jr., who owns two terriers. “I’m pretty disgusted.”

The poodle mix with matted fur couldn’t even lift her head up for more than two seconds at first, Dakin veterinarian Dr. Katie Spaulding said.“She was in horrible shape,” said Spaulding, who added that she’s never seen a case this disturbing. “We’ve had animals come to us in pretty poor medical condition, but I’ve never seen something where someone was throwing a dog away in a plastic bag.”

But after a visit to a local animal hospital, Spaulding said, she’s “like a completely different dog.”

Anyone with information about Buffy is urged to call the MSPCA at 800-628-5808.

Meanwhile, Quincy Police Capt. John Dougan said two detectives remain on the Puppy Doe case and are seeking Internet and telephone records to help track down who had the dog.

“Calls are still coming in from all over the world,” Dougan said. “We’re following all leads.”

(Boston Herald - October 18, 2013)