A small dog was found in a disgusting place over the weekend by an officer at the Guelph Lake Conservation Area in Ontario, Canada. A Chihuaua was at the bottom of an outhouse, trapped inside the ground-holding tank of the public toilet. The poor dog was covered in human waste and malnourished.
The Guelph Humane Society says that the only way the small dog could have gotten there was on purpose. That’s because the wooden washroom is set back near the woods, and the door was locked and would have had to have been forced open. The authorities don’t know how long the dog was out there.
Cleo at the Guelph Humane Society
“It is very disturbing that a dog could be abandoned in such alarming and dire circumstances,” says Lisa Veit, GHS’s Executive Director. “All of us here at GHS, and we expect the entire community, are extremely distressed as to what may have happened to her had she not been discovered and rescued.”
Veit later told CTV News, “We all felt some disbelief and shock when she was found in those conditions.” The province’s animal welfare agency is investigating the case.
The shelter has named the dog Cleo, who they estimate to be about 6 years old. The little dog was scared and severely underweight when she arrived at the shelter, and she has red scarring from the dirty environment in which she had been dumped. The shelter staff believe she hadn’t eaten for several days, and the poor dog has advanced periodontal disease so she will need some teeth removed.
Despite her terrible ordeal, Veit says Cleo is a “sweet dog” who likes to be held and is “very trusting.” Cleo will need to fully recover before she is put up for adoption.
Guelph Humane Society urges pet owners to reach out to them if they need help and to arrange a surrender or other assistance, saying that what happened to Cleo is inhumane. Anyone with information on Cleo’s circumstances is asked to call PAWS at 1-833-926-4625.
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