PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Pennsylvania SPCA is investigating how a young pit bull ended up disfigured and abandoned in Pennypack Park.
PSPCA said the dog was found alone in the park on Monday near Frankford Avenue, “seemingly left to die.” The good Samaritan who found the dog tied it to a tree and waited for the Animal Care and Control Team to arrive.
The female 8-month-old dog, later nicknamed Lovie, was found with a mangled face. The organization said she has to breathe through her mouth, as her nostrils are gone.
“While there are many things we do not yet know about Lovie’s story and how she ended up abandoned in the vast woodlands of Pennypack Park … we do know there is someone out there who knows this puppy,” said Nicole Wilson, director of Humane Law Enforcement.
Lovie was initially given the name Lavender, but Wilson said her kind demeanor called for another name.
“Her sweet disposition has totally melted the hearts of shelter staff, so they nicknamed her Lovie,” she said. “She just greets everybody with this smile, which is amazing given the fact that clearly, she has a lot of medical issues going on right now, and is deeply in need of some significant medical attention and treatment.”
Wilson is asking anyone who knows anything about the abuse to come forward, whether they know the owner or witnessed the dog being dumped in the woods.
“People who neglect or abuse animals — there is always a plural — it never just stops at one,” she said. “That’s why we are asking for the public to come forward so that they can not only have this person face what they did to this dog, but also to stop the potential suffering of the next dog.”
Information can be reported anonymously to cruelty@pspca.org or 866-601-7722.