‘Severely emaciated’ puppy found abandoned in parking lot in St. Catharines

A puppy was found abandoned in a parking lot near the George Nicholson Memorial Trail in St. Catharines, Ont., over the weekend. (Facebook/Humane Society of Greater Niagara)

A local humane society is seeking answers after a “severely emaciated” puppy was found abandoned in a parking lot in St. Catharines, Ont., over the weekend.

The Humane Society of Greater Niagara (HSGN) said they received a call at around 8 a.m. on Saturday after a young male dog was spotted in critical condition in the parking lot of the George Nicholson Memorial Trail.

“Based on our veterinary assessment, we established the animal to be approximately eight months old,” Cindy Dunne, HSGN’s executive director, said in an interview with CTV News Toronto.

The bully-hound-type-mix, now called Jacob, should weigh about 24 kilograms at his current age, Dunne noted, but instead he weighs about half that.

“So, severely emaciated with muscle wasting and has obviously not been feeding. He’s severely malnourished, doesn’t know how to drink or eat from a bowl,” Dunne said. “He’s been in this condition for quite some time.”

Though it’s hard to pinpoint exactly how long Jacob has been left abandoned in that parking lot, Dunne said their veterinary staff estimates he has been there for a few weeks as he was lying in his own feces and urine, unable to move on his own.

One of the humane society’s officers picked up Jacob by wrapping him in a blanket, Dunne said, and he has been receiving around-the-clock care over the weekend.

Jacob has been put on some antibiotics and a feeding plan and has, so far, shown considerable improvement over the course of the weekend—but Dunne says he still has a fair way to go as he remains covered in open, ulcerated wounds.

‘Just a puppy, still a baby’

Dunne couldn’t say how long Jacob’s recovery may take, pointing to the possibility of underlying conditions that are still being assessed. That said, the executive director said they’re optimistic they will see significant improvement in Jacob over the next couple of days given the rate at which he’s recovering.

“Jacob’s condition is something that stays with you,” Dunne said. “He is just a puppy, still a baby, and yet he has already endured more pain and neglect than any animal ever should. It’s hard to comprehend how this could happen.”

The humane society is seeking answers for Jacob’s case, urging anyone who may recognize him or have information to contact them.

“Does abandonment still take place in numbers that we are quite uncomfortable with? Yeah, they do, but it is hard to distinguish between what is a true abandonment versus what is a stray call,” Dunne said, when asked how many abandonment calls HSGN typically receives.

If a pet owner finds they can no longer take care of their animal, Dunne urges to surrender them to a local humane society instead of abandonment.

“That allows us, through a surrender, to understand the history of the animal, pedigree of the animal, any underlying medical concerns that that animal may come to the shelter with, so that they can be treated appropriately and adopted with full information to someone who would like to give the animal a second home,” Dunne said.

At this time, it is too early to tell when Jacob could be put up for adoption given his current condition, but Dunne said they are doing everything they can to ensure he arrives at that stage.

Anyone with information about Jacob is asked to call Humane Society of Greater Niagara at 905-682-0767, ext. 241.