Angel: A Dog’S Cries For Help Were Never Answered
How can this happen? How can an animal be treated so horribly? How can a person watch an animal suffer so tremendously and sit by and do nothing? These are the questions that come to mind when we see a case like this. A person that allows this type of suffering in their pet to take place is one that does not deserve to call themselves part of the human race.
Since we didn't even get to know her name, we're going to call this beautiful, pure-bred Akita, Angel. The call came in to our AHS-Newark facility after hours Wednesday night for a dog that appeared to be dying in the backyard of an Irvington, NJ residence. The caller stated that he had called the city Animal Control several times in the past regarding the well-being of this dog, but apparently, nothing was ever done for her.
An officer from our Newark facility went straight out to the residence and was met by the person that cared enough to call in about this suffering dog. The officer was taken to the part of the yard where this emaciated, struggling dog was laying, huddled between some debris, in a pile of leaves that she hoped would provide her with some warmth. He carefully lifted Angel out of the nightmare that she had been living in and brought her to the safety of a warm van. The resident also showed our officer the little room attached to the residence where Angel could go if she wanted to be indoors. As you can see in the pictures, the room, covered in feces and garbage, was no better than living in the yard.
Our officer brought Angel straight to a veterinary hospital in Fairfield where he was hopeful that her life could be saved. Angel was immediately met by a team of medical personnel, all ready to provide her with whatever medical treatment she needed. They quickly discovered that the cruelty, neglect, and lack of medical care that she endured had gone on for so long that there was no coming back. She was emaciated beyond belief and her organs were shutting down. Angel was made warm, comfortable, content, and was finally surrounded by people that actually cared about her when she passed away a few hours after these heartbreaking photos were taken of her.
Angel is truly and angel now and in a better place. You may be asking yourself why we are telling this story, since it does not have a happy ending. The fact is, this is a story that is all too familiar to the staff of our AHS-Newark facility. You cannot imagine how often animals die cold, hungry, and alone, but so many times, our staff tries so hard to at least show them care and love that they likely had never experienced. These sad stories are not something that you get used to, and the faces of these animals are not faces that you will soon forget.
So many people are so critical of our AHS- Newark shelter when in fact, the staff at this inner city shelter are the people that are there for so many animals when no one else is. When they're sick or injured, they are the ones to rush them to the hospital. When there's nothing more that can be done, they are the ones to stroke a furry head, gently hold a paw, and provide comfort to those that are leaving this world for a better place.
That is what we do at Associated Humane Societies, and we will continue to do that for every animal that comes to us in need. We need the support of our donors to do this important work that we do so please consider making a contribution to our Res-Q Fund by texting HumaneHelp to 41444 or by clicking here: http://www.ahscares.org/shop/item.asp?itemid=28&catid=5
Thanks for taking the time to read Angel's story. If you had mixed emotions about our AHS-Newark facility before or about animal shelters in general, perhaps this will help you to understand the kind of heartbreaking work that we do, and just how very much we care.
(*Many have asked about charges in this sad case: The NJ SPCA is the law enforcement agency for animals in NJ and the only organization that can file the charges. We have turned the case over to them and hopefully charges will be filed.*)
From: Associated Humane Popcorn Park Shelter
Since we didn't even get to know her name, we're going to call this beautiful, pure-bred Akita, Angel. The call came in to our AHS-Newark facility after hours Wednesday night for a dog that appeared to be dying in the backyard of an Irvington, NJ residence. The caller stated that he had called the city Animal Control several times in the past regarding the well-being of this dog, but apparently, nothing was ever done for her.
An officer from our Newark facility went straight out to the residence and was met by the person that cared enough to call in about this suffering dog. The officer was taken to the part of the yard where this emaciated, struggling dog was laying, huddled between some debris, in a pile of leaves that she hoped would provide her with some warmth. He carefully lifted Angel out of the nightmare that she had been living in and brought her to the safety of a warm van. The resident also showed our officer the little room attached to the residence where Angel could go if she wanted to be indoors. As you can see in the pictures, the room, covered in feces and garbage, was no better than living in the yard.
Our officer brought Angel straight to a veterinary hospital in Fairfield where he was hopeful that her life could be saved. Angel was immediately met by a team of medical personnel, all ready to provide her with whatever medical treatment she needed. They quickly discovered that the cruelty, neglect, and lack of medical care that she endured had gone on for so long that there was no coming back. She was emaciated beyond belief and her organs were shutting down. Angel was made warm, comfortable, content, and was finally surrounded by people that actually cared about her when she passed away a few hours after these heartbreaking photos were taken of her.
Angel is truly and angel now and in a better place. You may be asking yourself why we are telling this story, since it does not have a happy ending. The fact is, this is a story that is all too familiar to the staff of our AHS-Newark facility. You cannot imagine how often animals die cold, hungry, and alone, but so many times, our staff tries so hard to at least show them care and love that they likely had never experienced. These sad stories are not something that you get used to, and the faces of these animals are not faces that you will soon forget.
So many people are so critical of our AHS- Newark shelter when in fact, the staff at this inner city shelter are the people that are there for so many animals when no one else is. When they're sick or injured, they are the ones to rush them to the hospital. When there's nothing more that can be done, they are the ones to stroke a furry head, gently hold a paw, and provide comfort to those that are leaving this world for a better place.
That is what we do at Associated Humane Societies, and we will continue to do that for every animal that comes to us in need. We need the support of our donors to do this important work that we do so please consider making a contribution to our Res-Q Fund by texting HumaneHelp to 41444 or by clicking here: http://www.ahscares.org/shop/item.asp?itemid=28&catid=5
Thanks for taking the time to read Angel's story. If you had mixed emotions about our AHS-Newark facility before or about animal shelters in general, perhaps this will help you to understand the kind of heartbreaking work that we do, and just how very much we care.
(*Many have asked about charges in this sad case: The NJ SPCA is the law enforcement agency for animals in NJ and the only organization that can file the charges. We have turned the case over to them and hopefully charges will be filed.*)
From: Associated Humane Popcorn Park Shelter