Dog seveely emaciated
Forest Park, NY (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Nov 6, 2007
County: Sullivan
Disposition: Open
Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!
The call came into the Sullivan County SPCA in early November. An abandoned, sickly puppy had been found in the Forest Park trailer park. The shelter's vehicle wasn't working, and the shelter was full, but manager Kathy Risch drove out to the trailer park on her lunch hour.
"If I didn't get her that night, I'm pretty sure she wouldn't have made it through the night," Risch said.
Wonderpup, as she was named, was emaciated; her spine and rib cage clearly visible. She was infected with hookworm, roundworm and whipworm.
"We believe she was starved deliberately," said Manon Fortier, the shelter's vice president, "and that's a criminal act that should be prosecuted and punished."
The good Samaritan who found Wonderpup could not locate her owner. She considered keeping the dog, but she was afraid Wonderpup would die in front of her children.
Wonderpup is being fostered at Risch's home, as she is too fragile for shelter life just now. Risch believes she is a 2- to 3-month-old Doberman mix.
She is being fed a little at a time, five to six meals a day, and being treated for worms. When she's stronger, blood tests will reveal if the starvation affected her kidneys or other vital organs.
"She's really friendly," Risch said. "She nibbles at your fingers, slaps you with her paw. She's got more energy now. She's very affectionate. Whenever one of us walks over to the gate, she's up shaking her tail."
Fortier is hoping readers will be able to help lead cruelty investigators and law enforcement to her owner.
"Our shelter has taken in several painfully thin dogs over the past few weeks," she said, "but Wonderpup is by far the most extreme case we have seen in a long time."
The crime of animal abandonment is punishable by up to six months in prison and fines of up to $1,000.
A person who deprives an animal of sustenance, food or drink is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment for not more than one year or by a fine of not more than $1,000, or both.
Wonderpup will need a lot of care, but her prognosis is good.
"Animal cruelty is everybody's business," Fortier said. "If people witness, hear or suspect animal abuse, they should contact the authorities immediately. Wonderpup was only hours away from death."
How to help
Donations are needed to care for Wonderpup. They can be sent to the Sullivan County SPCA at 104 Rock Hill Drive, Rock Hill NY 12775.
Wonderpup won't be available for adoption until her recovery, expected in a few months. For more information, or if you know who abandoned the dog, call the Sullivan SPCA at 796-3120. If you have information on this case, please contact:
Sullivan County SPCA
796-3120
References« NY State Animal Cruelty Map
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