For the past seven months someone has been dumping dogs outside a PetSmart store in Detroit, Mich. Even though store employees have rescued about a dozen of the throw away dogs, they wish they could find the criminal doing this and put an end to this practice.
“If they’d just call us, we can refer them to a rescue group or the Humane Society; we just don’t want this continuing,” store manager Nikki Taylor told the Detroit Free Press.
The dogs are all poodle-Maltese mixes, ranging from 2- to 6-years-old. The innocent pets seem to be either from a puppy mill or a hoarding situation because each pet weighs about 10 to 15 pounds, had matted fur, was covered in feces, and the nails seemed had never been trimmed.
PetSmart employees have contacted Animal Welfare Society of Southeastern Michigan every time they find a throw away dog, and the organization has always welcomed and rescued the pet.
“One we got in May with puppies stuck in the birth canal,” said Theresa Cetnarowski, a volunteer with the Animal Welfare Society of Southeastern Michigan. Fortunately the puppies were delivered safely and the mother dog survived as well.
Local police has also been involved in this case, but for now there is nothing the cops can do. An eye witness to the dog dumping and a description of the person(s) or vehicle is needed for an arrest.
“The person abandoning these dogs needs to get caught,” said Cetnarowski. “We have no idea how many more there are out there that have run off, or worse.”
Michigan’s penalty for first offense cruelty to an animal is a misdemeanor with a fine up to $1,000 and/or imprisonment up to 93 days and community service. The second offense has a fine up to $2,000 and/or imprisonment up to two years.
Animal Welfare Society of Southeastern Michigan is hoping someone knows who is dumping these dogs and comes forward to inform authorities. For now they are accepting donations to continue saving and caring for these and other throw away dogs.
To make a donation visit http://www.animalwelfaresociety.net/donate.html.
