One winter night, a man in Earlton, New York opened his front door and found someone waiting for him.
It was a hairless and skinny dog, who shivered in the cold winter air.
The surprised man quickly brought the dog into his warm house and called the police. The police took the dog over to the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA. The CGHS/SPCA staffs’ hearts broke when they saw this poor abandoned dog’s frightened face.
“It appeared that she had been dumped by the roadside and abandoned,” the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA wrote on Facebook. “It was a frigid night, and it was assumed she came to the door looking for food and warmth. Animal control was contacted, and she was brought to the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA. It was clear that she had been neglected and was in dire need of medical attention.”
The CGHS/SPCA medical team examined the dog, who they named Penny. They found that she had demodectic mange that had gone untreated. Her skin was flaky and dry, and it had become infected and scabby. She also had lacerations on her neck and face.
Penny had gotten to the CGHS/SPCA just in time—if demodectic mange goes untreated, it can be deadly.
“She was in bad shape,” Ron Perez, president of the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA, told The Dodo. “She had some open lacerations on her face and neck, and was pretty much devoid of any hair. It was sad. It’s always sad to see them like this.”
Penny is a fighter, and she was determined to get well quickly. Just one week after arriving at CGHS/SPCA, she was already looking better!
As more time went by, Penny began looking even better. Some of her fur grew back, although her veterinarian believes that she’ll never have all of her fur again. Her mange is also completely gone. Now that she’s not in pain, her true cheerful personality is starting to shine through.
“She’s a real fighter and very resilient,” Perez said. “Her stress levels are clearly much lower now, because she’s interacting with people and she has proper food and is sleeping correctly.”
While Penny was getting better, CGHS/SPCA and the local police were busy searching for the person who cruelly abandoned Penny in the dead of winter. They found the person about 24 hours after Penny was admitted into CGHS/SPCA, and the police charged him with animal cruelty. If he ends up being convicted, he may face a $1,000 fine and jail time.
While the staff at CGHS/SPCA are happy that the man who abandoned Penny has been caught, they’re even more excited about Penny’s future. The shelter received many applications from people wanting to adopt Penny, but one couple stood out. The shelter was sure this couple would provide Penny with the perfect forever home.
On March 10, 2018, Penny left CGHS/SPCA and went to her new home.
https://www.facebook.com/CGHS.org/posts/2019895541360797
After everything she went through, Penny deserves to have a happy life with owners who love her. This sweet girl has a bright future ahead of her!
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