Emaciated puppy improving, information still sought
An emaciated puppy was found abandoned in a wooded area of Beaver Falls, and the Beaver County Humane Society is offering a reward for information regarding the dumping of the puppy.
The Beaver Falls Police Department received a call Thursday from someone in the community about a malnourished puppy found in the woods in Beaver Falls.
The police immediately brought the puppy to the Beaver County Humane Society where shelter manager, Cailin Rankin, said the puppy needed to be seen by the medical team immediately.
“Given his condition and not being able to stand, we were initially concerned that it was parvo(virus),” Rankin told the Butler Eagle. “After running tests, we were thankful to learn that wasn’t the case.”
The puppy is believed to only be a few weeks old given the size, but after further examination, the team at the humane society determined that the puppy was actually around four-months-old.
“The puppy only weighs around 12 pounds, which is concerning given the age. They should really weigh around 25 to 30 pounds,” Rankin said of the shepherd mix.
Staff at the humane society confirmed that the puppy was suffering from hypothermia and was soaked in urine. The Humane Society’s medical team did not believe that the dog would have survived much longer on it’s own.
After a quick initial check and a first round of blood-work, the humane society team determined the puppy had a previous injury to its front leg along with anemia, which is thought to have been caused by an extreme case of parasites and malnutrition.
Rankin said she was unsure of how the puppy had gotten to the woods, but said that it was likely dumped there and had been struggling to survive for a few days, or gained its condition within a home and was dumped there not long before the police were called.
“We are unsure if this pup was out in the elements for weeks, or if it was just dumped recently,” Rankin said. “We want to be Beaver County’s resource when caring for an animal becomes too much. We wish the person or persons who did this would have turned to us instead of leaving this pup in the woods to die.”
The puppy is stable at the moment, but is still awaiting more blood work results.
Rankin said that the puppy’s condition is far better now than it was last night. The puppy had started to attempt standing on it’s own, has started to wag its tail at shelter employees, and gives its caretakers kisses. The shelter is taking name suggestions for the dog, and is hopeful that once the dog’s medical needs have stabilized that they will be able to find a foster, and soon after, a permanent home.
A $500 reward is being offered for information regarding the dog, and those with information are asked to call Beaver County Humane Society at 724-775-5801 ext. 110.
Donations can be made to the humane society to help with the dog’s recovery at beavercountyhumanesociety.org.
