NEPTUNE – Authorities are seeking the public’s help identify the person responsible for neglecting a severely emaciated puppy found on the side of the road in Neptune Township this past weekend.
Police said around 12 p.m. May 7, members of the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) were called to Monroe Avenue on a report of a found puppy.
The caller told police that around 8 p.m. May 6, the dog was found two blocks away, near the intersection of Bangs and Myrtle Avenues. The caller said he contacted the SPCA the following day when he realized that she was too sick for him to adequately care for her.
The puppy is a tan female pit bull mix estimated to be 8 to 10 weeks old and named “Matilda” by her caregivers.
She was rushed to the SPCA shelter for urgent medical care, as she was in a fetal position, her head shaking, unable to move, suffering from severe dehydration and hunger. Officials said Matilda had shown small signs of improvement as of Wednesday and has started socializing with other dogs at the shelter and eating.
“The degree of neglect this defenseless puppy endured to wind up in the state she is currently in is, in a word, unfathomable,” Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago said. “We are hopeful that someone who lives in or frequents this area may have some information that would allow us to identify who is responsible, and go about taking the first steps toward bringing them to justice.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact SPCA investigators at 732-440-1539. Animal cruelty charges in New Jersey can include third- and fourth-degree criminal offenses, punishable by a maximum of five years in state prison.
