Authorities reached out to the public on Monday for help in identifying whoever left a dying puppy in a dumpster in Escondido last month.
At about 8:30 p.m. on April 28, the 6-week old, white Chihuahua puppy was found wrapped in a towel in a Dumpster at an apartment complex in the 1000 block of Rock Springs Road, just east of Interstate 15, according to the San Diego Humane Society.
SDHS humane officers responded and took the lethargic puppy to an after-hours emergency veterinary hospital.
Veterinarians determined the puppy had fluid in its lungs, preventing him from receiving enough oxygen, according to SDHS. Officials also said the dog's blood glucose levels were too low to register. After exploring all options, veterinarians decided to euthanize the puppy.
"There are no cameras in the apartment complex where someone placed this suffering puppy in a Dumpster, so we are really hoping the community will
help us out," said Chief of Humane Law Enforcement Bill Ganley. "If you saw something, please come forward. You can remain anonymous."
Anyone with information about the felony animal-cruelty case is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477 or submit a tip online.
Tipsters could be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
California
The SDHS is also investigating two other abandoned dog cases within the last two months in the San Diego region. On March 17, a 3-year-old American Pitbull Terrier was found dead from starvation at Alamosa Park in Oceanside. And on April 29, a 7- to 8-month-old puppy was found dead, likely from starvation, in a crate on 62nd Street just north of Akins Avenue in San Diego's Encanto neighborhood.
“It is heartbreaking that our Humane Officers are investigating a third case of an abandoned dog with a devastating outcome in San Diego County in less than a month,” Ganley said.
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SDHS officials do not believe the three cases are related.
The San Diego Humane Society's campuses are open-admission shelters, meaning they will never turn away an animal in need.
