A man in Michigan is wanted by law enforcement after footage showed a female dog who had just given birth being cruelly abandoned.
Deputies in Monroe County, south of Detroit, learned of an incident where a man abandoned a dog on June 28 this year. The footage captured on a Ring doorbell camera showed how the suspect left the dog outside the Humane Society of Monroe County at about 1 a.m. that day.
In the clip, the man was seen walking a spotted female pit bull mix on a leash in the parking lot before he tied the dog to a signpost and then walked away casually, leaving the animal behind. Staff at the Humane Society found the dog at about 7:10 a.m. the same day and started to treat her.
Police handout
A Monroe County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said in a Tuesday, August 15 Facebook post: “The dog has since been treated by a veterinarian who estimated her age to be approximately 2 years old. The dog was found to still be lactating and also had scratches along her mammary chain, which is an indication that puppies may have even been recently nursing her.
“The dog has since been named Mandy by the staff at the Humane Society,” the spokesperson added. “The staff described Mandy as anxious and exhibiting symptoms of separation anxiety. Mandy has since been moved to a temporary foster.”
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) said around 6.3 million companion animals enter shelters across the country each year.
The ASPCA added that around 3.1 million are dogs and 3.2 million are cats. The society estimates that the number of dogs and cats entering U.S. shelters annually has declined from approximately 7.2 million in 2011. The biggest decline was in dogs (from 3.9 million to 3.1 million).”
The ASPCA said that separation anxiety is a common issue that affects dogs when they are left alone. Dogs that have this might urinate, defecate, bark, howl, chew, dig or try to escape.
Joe Nutkins is a dog-training instructor and co-director at U.K.-based Dog Training for Essex and Suffolk. Earlier this month, she told Newsweek: “Anxiety in dogs generally can be very much a separate thing to separation anxiety.
“Dogs can be anxious around new people, strange dogs, certain noises but be very comfortable when left home alone. Likewise, a dog that is very confident out on walks or with new experiences but then when left alone struggles to settle and feel calm.”
Monroe County deputies said anyone with any information about the incident, or who may know the identity of the man shown on surveillance footage, or the identity of the owner, is asked to call Deputy Skyler Riffle at 734-240-7724.
Newsweek has contacted the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office for comment via email.