Starving, Ill Chihuahua Found in Lawrence Dumpster
August 31, 2010
| UPDATE: Gandhi has been adopted! We would like to thank everyone who offered Gandhi a new home. If you are interested in adopting an animal please visit www.mspca.org/adopt. |
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| Gandhi (above) was found in a dumpster in Lawrence and is receiving care at the MSPCA in Methuen. |
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Small, aging dog “thrown away like trash”
An aging Chihuahua in need of food, water, and medical care was brought to the MSPCA Noble Family Animal Care and Adoption Center in Methuen after he was found in a Lawrence dumpster. The small dog, nicknamed Gandhi for his passive attitude, is currently gaining much needed weight and receiving medical attention at the non-profit for starvation, dehydration, and severe hair loss.
“He was thrown away like trash,” said Mike Keiley, Director of the Noble Family Animal Care & Adoption Center. “The dumpster that he was found in was too high for him to have climbed into leading us to believe that a person put him in there as if he was garbage. Luckily he was saved by a quick thinking animal control officer from Lawrence and a group of concerned children who noticed him wandering around the neighborhood for about a week.”
Gandhi was discovered in a dumpster at a construction site along Oxford Street in Lawrence on August 13. He was immediately brought to the MSPCA in Methuen for medical care. The fragile dog was covered in fleas, extremely malnourished, and dehydrated. The MSPCA’s medical staff estimate that Gandhi is roughly 12 years old.
“Our staff has helped the little guy put on at least a pound of much needed weight and we are continuing to treat the cause of his hair loss,” Keiley added. “We are again reminding residents to bring unwanted pets to the MSPCA or a local shelter to be surrendered and never abandoned.”
Abandonment constitutes animal cruelty in Massachusetts and perpetrators may receive a fine of up to $2,500 and/or up to five years in prison.
Donations are being accepted for the MSPCA-Angell’s Pet Care Assistance program to help homeless animals, pets from Law Enforcement investigations, and pet owners in need. Click here to donate.
