Leaving your animal in the middle of nowhere is already unwelcome, but leaving it to rot, alone, in the rain and in the cold, is not only cruel but dangerous, warns a refuge.
Officials at the Ohio Animal Shelter in the United States are begging owners to keep their four-legged friends out of the cold. A reminder that comes after a puppy is found abandoned in freezing rain.
The puppy was discovered Monday, February 15 at around 6 p.m. inside a crate standing north of Youngstown, as the Mahoning County Dog Shelter said on Facebook . It also states that the word “FREE” was written on the side of the cash register.
It was the police who found him and took him to the local shelter. The puppy is currently in quarantine there, as is the rule, and can then be offered for adoption. The goal: To ensure the puppy is healthy before it is adopted, says Dianne Fry, manager of the Mahoning County Dog Shelter.
“Cats and dogs depend on us to survive”
In its Facebook post, the shelter takes advantage of this sad story to urge people not to abandon their animals in the cold. “Last night a puppy was abandoned in a crate outside in the freezing rain on the north side of Youngstown. ‘Free’ was written on the side of the crate. What kind of person does that?” And to conclude: “Cats and dogs depend on us to survive. We humans have domesticated them. They are our responsibility. They deserve love and care.” What does he ask of those who would not or could no longer keep their animal? Take it to a nearby shelter. “Don’t leave them out in this weather. There it is beyond cruelty.”
The abandonment of an animal, punishable by fine and prison
In Youngstown, Oahio, abandoning your pet anywhere other than a shelter is punishable by fines and jail time. Officials at the Mahoning County Dog Shelter are asking anyone with information about the abandoned puppy or the person who left it in the freezing rain to contact them as soon as possible.
