Chihuahua Left In Carrier Outside Animal Shelter Dies Of Heat Stroke; Reward Offered For Info
BROCKTON (CBS) – Authorities want to know who is responsible for the death of a dog left in a pet carrier outside a Brockton animal shelter on Tuesday.
The MSPCA says Animal Protection Center manager Joyce Caranci found the female dog in a carrier on the property's driveway "unconscious and foaming at the mouth." The temperature outside was already into the 80s when she found the dog just after 8 a.m.
Caranci rushed the dog to an animal hospital in Stoughton but it died on the way. The dog's body temperature was at least 110 degrees – the highest the thermometer would go.
"This is a shocking instance of animal cruelty in which a young dog suffered an agonizing and totally preventable death—and we're asking for the public's help in bringing whoever is responsible for this to justice," MSPCA Law Enforcement Officer Nadya Branca said in a statement.
Caranci told WBZ-TV the death was devastating. "It undoes so much of the good. We work so hard for good outcomes for animals in our care," she said.
The dog was otherwise in "very good condition," the MSPCA says. She is brown and white, weighs 10 pounds and is estimated to be about 1 year old. No ID tags or microchips were found.
The MSPCA says it is fine to drop off a dog in an animal carrier, as long as it is during the organization's business/surrendering hours.
Rob Halpin of the MSPCA explained, "we always ask people to get in touch with their local animal shelter. Call and find out their surrender process and their surrender hours. There is no shame or judgment in that. When people get into trouble, animals get into trouble and that's why animal shelters exist."
A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to a conviction. Anyone with information should call the MSPCA at 800-628-5808.
"Regardless of the circumstances that led to the person making this decision, animal cruelty is a felony crime in Massachusetts," Halpin continued. "This dog had died a protracted and agonizing death."
