Dog abandoned in basement
Fitchburg, MA (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, Aug 17, 2005
County: Worcester
Disposition: Not Charged
Abuser names unreleased
A routine inspection of a leaky roof on High Street on Aug 17 led city health officials to find a 3-month-old puppy tied up and abandoned in the building's basement.
"The dog didn't look starved, but he was stuck in (his own waste)," said Senior Health Inspector Steven Curry. "Poor little guy."
Curry was at the site inspecting the roof at 129 High St., which leaked water into three apartments and the basement, causing flooding the previous Sunday.
City firefighters responded to the flooding on Sunday, evacuating the tenants and shutting off power and gas to the building, according to a Fire Department report obtained by the Sentinel & Enterprise.
Curry went on to inspect the rest of the building, when he heard squeaking coming from the basement.
There he found a small "Cocker Spaniel-type" dog tied to a bench.
"He was tied up to a weight bench," Curry said. "It was a dark, damp, wet basement. There was a bag of food, but he couldn't get to it."
Fitchburg Animal Control Officer Susan Kowaleski said she could not comment on the case because the matter is still under investigation.
Kowaleski did say the dog is safe. References |
