It was a night in January when a man in Earlton, New York, found an unexpected visitor at his front door. It was a thin, hairless dog shivering in the cold air, and the man couldn’t imagine where it came from. “It looked like it had been left on the side of the road.” the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA reported on Facebook. ,,That night was freezing cold. We thought she had come to the door to look for food and warmth.”
The man took the dog home and called the police, who took the dog to the shelter. The staff were devastated to see the dog, now called Penny. ,,She was in very bad shape.” Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA president Ron Perez told The Dodo. ,,She suffered from open wounds on her face and neck and almost no hair. It was heartbreaking to look at her.”
Penny was found to have a serious skin disease called Demodex mange, which occurs when mites enter the dog’s skin. Chris Reeder, a board-certified veterinarian at BluePearl Veterinary Hospital in Franklin, Tennessee, tells The Dodo that Demodex mange can be fatal if left untreated. ,,It’s usually more debilitating than fatal, but in some cases it can be fatal.” he added.
Penny survived but was badly affected by scabies. She had lost most of her hair and her dry, scaly skin was infected and scabbed over. ,,When she scratched it, she scratched the flesh, which became inflamed and caused more bleeding.” Perez said.
But thanks to medical help and loving care, Penny recovered. Faster than expected. ,,Within a week, she looked completely different.” Perez said. ,,The vet was very thankful for her recovery. Over the next few weeks, Penny got better and better. Now her dandruff is completely gone, but her hair may never grow back completely.”
,,She is a real fighter and very resilient.” Perez said. ,,His stress level is much lower now because she is with other people, eating real food and sleeping well.” While Penny recovered, the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA worked with local police to find the person who abandoned her. The police identified Penny’s former owner after 24 hours and arrested him for animal cruelty. The former owner faces a $1,000 fine and jail time.
Everyone involved in Penny’s case is happy that justice has been served, but even happier for the couple who recently adopted Penny. ,,We received a lot of adoption applications.” Perez said. ,,But these two people are wonderful pet owners. They took good care of them and visited them several times a week. They brought their dog and everyone had a great time. I hope this is the last home they go to.
Penny leaves the country on Saturday to start her new life and the shelter staff couldn’t be happier.
Perez said: ,,She’s such a lovely dog. She doesn’t really have any hard bones in her body. She’s a great girl and she’s going to be a great pet.
