Woman Left Elder Dog Covered in Pressure Sores and Ear Infections Last Thursday at The Secret Garden Pet Resort
BOSTON, Aug. 28, 2018 – The MSPCA-Angell’s Law Enforcement Dept. today issued a call for help in identifying a woman who brought a sick dog to The Secret Garden Pet Resort in East Bridgewater, Mass. for grooming last Thursday, Aug. 23, and then never came back to collect him, prompting the groomer to contact East Bridgewater Animal Control Officer Lisa McKay, who then notified the MSPCA.
The woman is described as Caucasian with long red hair pulled back in a ponytail. She is believed to be in her mid-forties and about 5’6” in height. She was wearing a gray t-shirt with blue jeans and had an eye patch covering her right eye.
The woman listed her name as Melanie Wichester on Secret Garden’s intake form but, when that name was later run through the police dept. database, it proved to be made up. The name she listed for the dog was William Katz.
Long Island Bulldog Rescue… to the Rescue
The dog is an older, male brown and white English Bulldog who was covered in pressure sores and suffering from skin, eye and ear infections. He remains at Secret Garden and will be transferred to Long Island Bulldog Rescue after the mandatory seven-day stray hold expires on Thursday, Aug. 30.
Surveillance cameras installed at Secret Garden captured images of the woman inside the building, but how she arrived at the shop remains a mystery. “There was no opportunity to run a license plate as we could not establish whether she arrived at the front door by car or if she walked up the long hill from the main road,” said Chelsea Weiand, the MSPCA law enforcement officer investigating the case.
East Bridgewater police officer Patrick O’Brien has already interviewed several home owners who live near the groomer but those interviews yielded no leads.
Ear Infections that Require Surgery
The dog’s ear infections are so severe that a veterinarian who examined him has recommended surgery to alleviate the pain he is experiencing. It is unclear at this stage where and when the operation will be performed.
Anyone with information that may lead the MSPCA to identify the woman who abandoned the dog is urged to call the MSPCA’s toll-free Law Enforcement line at 800-628-5808.
Animal cruelty is a felony crime in Massachusetts punishable by up to seven years in state prison and a fine of up to $5,000.
Readers interested in adopting the dog can contact Long Island Bulldog Rescue via its Website.
