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Dog Found Abandoned Inside Backpack On West Roxbury Street

BOSTON (CBS) – A small 9-year-old Pomeranian dog was found zipped into a backpack and abandoned in West Roxbury.

Andrea DesJardins was walking home on Friday when she spotted a backpack that had been left under a bush at the intersection of Center and Willow Streets. When she stopped to inspect the bag, she noticed it was moving.

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Jan was found abandoned in a backpack in West Roxbury. (Image Credit: MSPCA)

DesJardins opened the bag and the startled dog popped out.

"It was so odd to find a backpack close to the sidewalk but seemingly intentionally hidden underneath a bush—so I felt compelled to investigate," said DesJardins. "As I got closer I could see that something was moving inside the bag—I immediately loosened the zipper and was shocked to find a startled, chocolate brown Pomeranian staring back at me."

The dog, which rescuers named Jan, had a dangerously low body temperature and likely spend at least one night in the bag. Staff members warmed her up using heated blankets and Jan is recovering.

"It's always shocking to imagine someone leaving a defenseless animal outside and trapped in such a way," said MSPCA shelter operations coordinator Corinne Bourgoin. "Had Andrea not gotten her to us it's very possible she would have died inside that bag."

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The backpack a dog was left in and placed under a bush. (Image Credit: MSPCA)

An MSPCA staff member will likely be adopting Jan.

Anyone with information on the abandoned dog is asked to call the MSPCA's Law Enforcement Department. Abandoning a dog is a felony punishable by up to seven years in jail and fines reaching $5,000.

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