An abused dog who was abandoned on the side of a South Los Angeles street has been rescued. The dog had been trapped inside a doghouse that was nailed shut.
A homeless man in the area, Willis Robbins, told ABC7 that he spotted the boarded up dog house in a lane of traffic near 83rd and Grand Avenue in Los Angeles earlier this week and that he had seen a passerby rip the board off the front. The dog house sat on the side of the road for three days until a curious LAPD sergeant stopped to check what was inside the box. When he saw the abused dog peering back at him, the police officer called Ghetto Rescue FFoundation (GRFF), an animal rescue group.
Alison Featherstone of GRFF described finding the abused and abandoned dog as “heartbreaking.”
“He was just cowered in the back, his head hanging down. The dog has been attacked. He had bite wounds on him. His leg was completely swollen, I mean, he is a broken dog.”
Featherstone told ABC7 the dog did not try to bite the animal control officer who removed him from the dog house. He did not bark. He did not growl. “He did not do anything,” said Featherstone. Some of his wounds were infected, and rescuers had to sedate the dog so he could be shaven and his wounds cleaned. Featherstone said if the passerby had not torn the front off the house, the dog would have died.
The dog, a three-year-old Shepherd-Chow mix, has been given a name, Walter Worthy Higgins. Animal control is treating him for his injuries. GRFF plans to put him a foster home for training and socialization before the group tries to find him a permanent home.
On Thursday, GRFF posted an update on Walter on the group’s Facebook page.
“Walter Worthy Higgins is receiving medical treatment and we will pick him up when his “hold” is up. If anyone attempts to claim him as their dog they will have a lot of explaining to do, and we all know no one will claim him. Our volunteer saw an extremely sad, terrified and clearly abused dog. Dogs like Walter bring awareness to the plight of street dogs and abused dogs we encounter. We now wait while our volunteers, police and fire folks continue our daily efforts to help street dogs. Thank you!”
GRFF tells CBS Los Angeles that while Walter Worthy Higgins will need time to recover from the trauma, he will be okay.
“He is still a great dog, he’s just gonna need some help.”
[Image via Facebook ]