EDISON – Police are seeking the owner of an abandoned or lost pit bull puppy, who was found so badly malnourished and dehydrated the puppy would not respond to treatment and was euthanized, according to authorities.
A township man found the white and tan puppy while jogging the morning of Aug. 11 on New Dover Road. He brought the puppy home, fed it and turned it over to township Animal Control Officer Jacqueline Baird, who transported the dog to Garden State Veterinary Services in Iselin for emergency medical treatment.
In addition to being emaciated, veterinarians determined the puppy – estimated to be between four and six months old – had severe bone deformities, an enlarged heart and heart murmur, and other internal organ ailments, authorities said.
“Our first reaction was to treat the puppy and restore it to health,” said Amy Ray, a staffer at the Edison Animal Shelter. “Late Sunday, the veterinarian informed us the puppy was suffering too much. A humane decision was made, in this dog’s best interest, to euthanize it.”
Edison Police Detectives Robert Ellmyer Jr. and Charles Zundel, the department’s humane law enforcement officers, are working with animal shelter staff to find the dog’s owner.
The puppy did not have a collar nor tags, and was not micro-chipped.
Anyone with information should contact detectives at 732-248-7400 or the Edison Animal Shelter at 732-248-7278.