It was a bitter, cold winter night in Earlton, New York when a man opened his door and discovered a dog waiting outside. The poor creature had lost most of her fur and she was skinny, frightened, and freezing. Surprised, the man immediately brought her inside where it was warm.
The man called the police who delivered the dog to the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA. The Humane Society said this of the dog’s shocking condition:
“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.”
It was a good thing that the dog was rescued that night. She was suffering from untreated demodectic mange, which can be deadly. In addition to her painful, flaky skin, she had other injuries, as well.
“She was in bad shape,” Ron Perez, president of the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA said. “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.”
The Humane Society named the dog Penny, and with proper veterinary care and TLC, she was on her way to a full recovery.
Though Penny is healed, she will never regrow all of her hair. But, as her health improved, her personality started 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.”
Within a day of Penny coming to the Humane Society, police were able to track down the man who neglected poor Penny and dumped her at night in the bitter cold. He has been charged with animal cruelty and faces jail time and a $1000 fine. Hopefully, he will be convicted and punished for what he did.
That’s not the end of Penny’s story — after receiving attention on social media, applications to adopt Penny came pouring in. She was adopted by a lovely couple who are determined to give Penny a loving, forever home.
We’re so happy that Penny’s story has a happy ending. Please share if you think that all dogs deserve a safe, loving home!