A surveillance camera has captured the heartbreaking moment two husky puppies were thrown over a fence and abandoned by their owner in Michigan.
The CCTV footage shows a blue car pulling up to the Jackson County Animal Shelter’s play yard gate. A woman then gets out of the vehicle and tosses the dogs one by one over the tall fence then drives off.
Fortunately, a member of staff spotted the two white huskies as they were pulling into the shelter car park on September 26. They were then taken to vets who revealed they were malnourished with parasites.
Lydia Sattler/Jackson County Animal Shelter
Newsweek spoke to animal services director Lydia Sattler about the ordeal, she said: “Ryder, the male pup would cower and scream when you touched him. It was heartbreaking to see and hear.
“We showed him he was safe and nobody was going to hurt him with gentle and positive daily interactions.
“He is doing really well now.”
Sattler explained 6-month-old huskies should be between 25 to 30 pounds, but they were found to only weigh 8 and 11 pounds.
The former owner has since been located and has admitted to neglecting the animals, according to local broadcaster WILX News 10.
Sadly, dogs being left for dead seems to be a common occurrence. Rocco, a 19-year-old Chihuahua and Yorkshire terrier mix, was recently found in Canada left out in cold rain. Another owner in Michigan was caught on CCTV footage tying his dog up and leaving. Newsweek also shared the heartbreaking tale about a Labrador mix who was given up for being “too old.”
Each year 6.3 million pets are surrendered to U.S. shelters, which is an average of 17,260 a day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters hit 46,807 during January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared with January 2022, the 24Pet “Shelter Watch Report” found.
Around 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized every year. Shelters are striving to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spaying and neutering programs, and behavior rehabilitation.
Sattler told Newsweek: “The circumstances vary for cases like this, and in some cases, it could be a lack of education on what they should do. But sadly, many are just not willing to take responsibility for their own pets and look for an easy way out of their situation.
“If someone can’t look after their pet anymore, they should do the right thing and contact their local shelter and speak with them about ways to receive the help or assistance they need.”
Fortunately, there is a happy ending for Ryder and Rayne as they were adopted on October 6, just over a week after the shocking incident.
Sattler said: “They are very playful now and love to have human attention.
“They stayed at the shelter for three days before going to a foster carer then they had a follow up appointment with the vet before getting cleared for adoption.”
The inseparable pair went home on the same day with their new family.
Newsweek reached out to Jackson Police Department for comment.
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