A dog that was left abandoned in a box at the back of an open rescue facility on August 15 has been found by workers at Pickens County Humane Society (PCHS).
Staff at the South Carolina rescue were stunned to find a young Chihuahua mix, who they named Clover, abandoned in a closed container behind the rescue—despite it being open and easily accessible.
“He was left in the container with the lid closed and no air holes,” PCHS director Samantha Gamble told Newsweek.
PCHS estimated the Chihuahua mix to be around 2-3 years old. He was given a full medical examination after being found.
Pickens County Humane Society
“He is healthy, but very underweight,” said Gamble. “He has flea dermatitis and skin irritation.”
Despite being the most popular pet in the U.S., a 2022 survey published in Forbes revealed that 54 percent of people regret getting a dog. Perhaps this is why the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) reports that a huge 6.3 million companion animals enter U.S. shelters each year, including 3.1 million dogs.
Stories of abandoned dogs are far from rare, and some animal rescues have recently told Newsweek that they’re seeing more and more abandoned animals.
“We see sad stuff every day,” Jennifer Taylor, director and founder of Renegade Paws Rescue, previously told Newsweek. “I don’t know how half these girls aren’t crying all the time.”
Clover will take some time to rehabilitate at PCHS before being put up for adoption. “We are allowing him to gain some weight and treating his skin irritation before we allow him to go on the adoption floor,” said Gamble.
“We do not know the circumstances as to why the individual decided to abandon Clover,” said Gamble. “However, we were open for operations and they decided to not go through the proper procedures and protocol for us to take this animal in.”
She explained that by not bringing the animal into the shelter where he could be properly processed and surrendered, the owners put his life at risk.
“They put this animal at risk of death due to leaving him in a closed tote with no air on a day it was 90 F outside. When we found the tote and opened it he was panting,” said Gamble.
After the ordeal, the shelter shared what happened on its Facebook page, where people were furious that Clover had been left alone in the box.
“We wanted to bring awareness that abandonment is illegal and is dangerous. There are proper procedures and avenues to relinquish your animal,” Gamble said.