Elderly, Frightened but Loveable “Jan” to Leave the MSPCA-Angell Soon for an Adoptive Home
BOSTON, May 24, 2018 – Life is about to get lot sweeter for a nine-pound Pomeranian found trapped inside a zipped-up backpack and dumped beside a sidewalk in West Roxbury last week. The dog, who MSPCA staffers believe is nine years old, could easily have died of exposure or starvation but for the quick thinking of the good Samaritan who rushed to her aid.
“It was so odd to find a backpack close to the sidewalk but seemingly intentionally hidden underneath a bush—so I felt compelled to investigate,” said West Roxbury resident Andrea DesJardins, who spotted the bag near the intersection of Center and Willow Streets on May 18.
“As I got closer I could see that something was moving inside the bag—I immediately loosened the zipper and was shocked to find a startled, chocolate brown Pomeranian staring back at me.”
DesJardins wasted no time finding help. She drove the dog—and the bag—to the MSPCA-Angell adoption center in Jamaica Plain and relayed to staff the circumstances surrounding the find.
“It’s always shocking to imagine someone leaving a defenseless animal outside and trapped in such a way,” said MSPCA shelter operations coordinator Corinne Bourgoin. “Had Andrea not gotten her to us it’s very possible she would have died inside that bag.”
“Jan,” as the dog has since been named by staffers, registered a dangerously low temperature upon arrival and her gums were pale—both possible indicators of serious health concerns. “But we warmed her using heated blankets and showered her with affection and that seemed to turn her around,” said MSPCA shelter associate director Anna Rafferty-Fore. “She perked right up after about an hour outside the bag.”
Mystery: Who Owned Jan?
Jan was most likely bought from a breeder in Missouri and then shipped to Massachusetts nearly a decade ago. “She has a microchip that was purchased by the Missouri Pet Breeders Association—likely to satisfy minimum requirements established by airlines who fly pets onboard their planes—but that chip was never populated with an owner’s contact information.”
In the six days Jan has been at the shelter, no one has claimed her.
Rafferty-Fore said Jan is as social and friendly as they come and adores time spent around people. The veterinary team who examined her suspects she may be partially or totally deaf, but otherwise appears healthy.
Jan’s mandatory seven-day stray hold expires today and, fortunately, she won’t even have to be placed on the adoption floor.
“Word spread like wildfire once she arrived on our doorstep and there are a number of potential adopters already waiting in line to take her home,” said Rafferty-Fore, who will likely place the dog with a new owner as soon as tomorrow.
As Jan and the people caring for her look to the future, and a happier life for the deserving dog, attention now turns to finding the person who abandoned her. Anyone with information that could lead to the person responsible for dumping Jan is urged to call the MSPCA’s Law Enforcement dept. at 800-628-5808.
“It’s really important for people to know that there are options available should they be unable to care for their animal,” said Rafferty-Fore, who remains troubled by the decision to abandon Jan to whatever fate may have awaited her.
“Our surrender process is judgement-free—we understand that sometimes due to circumstances beyond their control, people are no longer able to keep their animals—and we urge anyone in this situation to reach out to us,” she said.
For more information about the MSPCA’s pet surrender process, readers can click here.
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