(CBS DETROIT) – Calvin Hannah says he’s an animal lover and has three dogs of his own, so when he saw a Pitbull left abandoned and chained to a light pole he had to help.
“I approached the dog to kind of like get a feel for him,” Hannah said.
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“He was kind of, of course he was probably scared so he was growling a little bit so I figured I’d go get him some food to make him a little more comfortable with me. I fed him. He kind of like perked up a little bit.”
Hannah found the dog Saturday on Boston and Otsego on Detroit’s west side.
“He didn’t have a chance,” Hannah continued.
“He had like three feet to move, so he couldn’t even find a place to get warm if he wanted to, he was just, he had to just suffer right there.”
Police were called and the dog was taken to Detroit Animal Care and Control.
He’s being treated for neck abrasions from a tight collar.
“Right now, he’s under our care of our veterinary team,” said DACC Director Mark Kumpf.
“They’ll be re-examining him to see how he’s doing. He’s a little grumpy right now but you would be too if you had a big cut on your neck that had to be worked on. We hope that once we’ve had an opportunity to allow him to decompress, we’ve worked on him with his medical issues, that he’ll be potentially a candidate for adoption or transferred to another rescue organization that can continue his care.”
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Kumpf says animal abandonment contributes to shelter overcrowding.
“If they abandon them outside it makes it very difficult for shelters all over the country because the animals show up with no history,” Kumpf said.
“What we look for is vaccine records, medical information, stuff about behavior and health.”
With temperatures dropping in the single digits, the weather is too harsh for dogs to survive.
“Simply tying your dog outside to a lamppost and expecting him to survive and thrive in these kinds of temperature and weather, it’s criminal,” Kumpf said.
Animal Cruelty is a serious charge in Michigan and depending on the degree, violators can face up to 10 years in prison and $5,000 in fines.
Low level offenses can lead to 90 days in jail and a $500 ticket.
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