PLANTATION, FLA. (WSVN) - An emaciated dog is on the road the recovery after he was found locked inside a crate that was placed in a dumpster.
The dog was found at the Spectra Apartments complex at 4540 NW 10th Place, Tuesday afternoon.
A picture taken inside the crate captured the frail canine with a water bowl that was added later.
The dog, since named Mushu, was taken to Mutty Paws Rescue in West Palm Beach.
“The picture of him was just heartbreaking. We thought he was actually deceased in the photo,” said Ashley Miller with Mutty Paws Rescue.
People with Muddy Paws took Mushu to Lantana-Atlantis Animal Hospital in Lake Worth, where he is being cared for by Dr. Evan Kadish.
“I doubt he would have survived another 12 hours,” said Kadish. “He was definitely one of the worst cases I’ve seen of neglect and animal cruelty.”
Those who found the small, black male pit bull with white spots said the animal could barely lift its head to drink.
“He’s very, very thin. He is emaciated. You can see these are his ribs showing,” said Kadish. “He hasn’t eaten for a long time; he’s absolutely starving.”
The carrier had been covered by garbage and couldn’t be seen, but fortunately, someone heard the dog.
Calls were placed to Plantation Police and Broward County Animal Care at around 12:15 p.m. on Tuesday.
“He was found in an airline carrier that had bags of trash in it that mostly contained dog feces,” said Miller. “It was pushed all the way up against the back of the dumpster.”
It remains unclear how long Mushu had spent in the dumpster.
“The response is the same every single time: ‘How could somebody? This is a living, breathing animal,'” said Miller. “Unfortunately, we do have to clean up the mess of people who commit heinous acts like this.”
Kadish said Mushu was close to death when he was brought in.
“Yesterday, he was so dehydrated that he couldn’t walk, he couldn’t stand. He was practically comatose,” said Kadish.
Management at the apartment complex told 7News that police spent Tuesday looking through surveillance video.
Neighbors are disgusted with the cruel act.
“To me, I just believe it is very inhumane, I believe that respect is due to everybody, including the animals, so to see that situation, it is really disheartening, and I hope that the dog is OK,” said a neighbor.
As for Mushu, he has since been able to stand and walk, and he appears to welcome the attention.
Kadish said the dog should make a full recovery in a matter of weeks.
“As you can see, he’s really friendly and a very lovable dog,” he said. “He’s got a great future ahead. We will make sure he gets a good home. Between Lantana-Atlantis Hospital and Mutty Paws, we are 100% going to make sure of that.”
If you’d like to donate to help with the dog’s care, click here.
Anyone with any information on this incident is urged to contact the Plantation Police Department at 954-797-2100 or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477)
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.