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The dog was euthanized after being found so emaciated that you could see its bones.
MANASSAS, Va. — Police are searching for the person who left a severely emaciated dog in a cage outside a Manassas animal clinic on Monday morning.
The dog, discovered just after 6 a.m. outside the Battlefield Animal Clinic on Sudley Road, was found in such poor condition that staff immediately called animal control. Officers said the dog was in “excruciating pain” and ultimately had to be euthanized.
“The crate was kind of covered in feces. The dog was obviously very malnourished,” said Lt. Jonathan Perok with the Prince William County Police Department. “There were many other injuries on the dog besides it being malnourished. It was clearly suffering.”
The dog was described as a severely emaciated tan and white adult pitbull/husky-mix in poor health. Staff immediately tried to help the dog until animal control officers arrived. Animal Control officers than took the dog to the Prince William County Animal Services Center, but quickly realized there wasn’t much they could do.
“The animal control officers noted that just touching the dog hurt it,” said Lt. Perok. “Just being gentle and trying to gently move him around hurt the dog. So that’s why the decision, unfortunately, was made to euthanize, because it was just clearly in just so much pain.”
Investigators say nearby surveillance cameras captured a light-colored sedan, possibly a Lexus, with Maryland tags, pulling into an adjacent parking lot just after 4:15 a.m. The driver is seen removing the cage and abandoning the dog before driving away.
The driver is described as a man wearing a baseball hat, a white tank top, and a dark-colored shirt draped over his shoulders.
The Battlefield Animal Clinic declined to comment, but people who live nearby told WUSA9 they were shocked and heartbroken.
“Honestly, there’s no words,” said Joselyn, who lives in Manassas. “I feel like they have mental issues to do something like that. That’s so heartless and so sad.”
“Wow, you gotta need some therapy,” said another resident, Shivan. “That’s hard.”
Police say the dog had been neglected for some time and that the treatment of this dog was completely unnecessary.
“It’s clear that this animal has been neglected and not cared for for a while,” Perok said. “Don’t let the animal get to this state. If you can’t properly care for the animal, bring the animal to us or to your shelter. Let us take in the animal. We can rehome it.”
Police are asking anyone who recognizes the driver, the vehicle, or the dog to call Prince William County Police at (703) 792-7000.
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