Spring Farm Cares, a non-profit animal sanctuary in New York, reprimanded a dog abandoner via their Facebook page. An unknown person, or persons, left their Pit Bull mix panicked outside their facility.
The sanctuary referred to the cowardly act as “truly heartless” and outlined what happened following the dog’s abandonment, as well they should have, given the circumstances.
Really, they just said what we all think when we hear these stories of dogs suffering from abandonment. Now the sanctuary is asking for help with providing information to the authorities.
The Dog Nearly Died On The Highway
According to the Spring Farm Cares post, the abandoners left behind the dog, frightened and “panicked,” close to the facility’s closing time. They allege the abandoners knew that this is when facility staff would be leaving for the day and would find her.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t that simple.
Scared and confused, the poor pup ran from the facility’s staff. She took off into the woods and into the dark. They dared not pursue her too far out of fear that she would run into the busy highway nearby. Staff searched and waited for hours into the night for her to return.
“It is illegal in New York State to abandon an animal,” stated the post. “So what you did is against the law. But more importantly, it was truly a heartless act.”
Eventually, the pup did return to the farm, and they were able to capture her, but only after a series of other near-fatal events for both pup and others on the roads.
“Luckily, at some point she came back here, hoping you’d be back for her,” the post goes on to say. “How she managed to avoid getting killed in the highway is a miracle. There was nearly a car accident as people tried to avoid her.”
The Proper Way To Surrender An Animal
(Stock Picture Credit: Pattarapon Jermthai / EyeEm/Getty Images)To those unfamiliar with the area and facility, Spring Farm Cares is an animal sanctuary not just for dogs, but for all sorts of animals, according to their Facebook page.
The 250-acre farm is home to “cats, rabbits, horses, ponies, donkeys, goats, sheep, pigs, ducks, and chickens.”
As the staff references in their post about the incident, reported by WKTV, the dog’s previous family knew they would care for him. But, that’s still no excuse.
To surrender an animal legally to a shelter, sanctuary, or rescue, arrangements must be made in advance. Ownership must be properly relinquished.
Without this proper hand-over, the surrendering of an animal is considered abandonment — an act that is illegal in the state of New York.
You Can Help! Contact ‘Spring Farm Cares’ With Information
Surveillance footage from the Spring Farm Cares facility has been submitted to authorities.
If you or anyone you know has any information regarding the identification of the vehicle in the photos, send it to help@springfarmcares.org.
While the investigation proceeds, the sanctuary has placed this beautiful pup, now named Bella, in a loving foster home. An additional report from WKTV states that dozens of families nationwide have offered to adopt her.
Staff from the facility included in their post that she is “incredibly smart” and “reached down deep inside and followed her heart” back to them. With no help from the pup’s former caretakers, she is undoubtedly in a better place and “is so incredibly lucky.”
Things could have gone so very differently. If you happen to find yourself in a situation where you can no longer care for your dog, you can avoid that with proper surrender.
Will you help spread the word so Spring Farms Cares can find the person who abandoned Bella? What do you think the consequences should be for abandoning a dog? Let us know in the comments below.
