Richmond Animal Care and Control Facebook
A rescue dog is safe and warm after being abandoned in Virginia’s recent cold snap.
“To the person who left their dog tied to the bus line pole in the freezing cold last night. Do better. 🤬,” the shelter posted onFacebook.
“To the kind citizen who called Richmond Animal Care and Control to help. Thank you. ♥️ #weareyourcityshelter,” they added.
Per local ABC-affiliated stationWRIC, the dog was left “near the intersection of Chambers Street and Bowen Street in the city’s Southside.”
RACC spokesperson Christie Chipps-Peters told PEOPLE in an email that the dog is now “doing great” after his rescue. “We are investigating the case,” she added.
Virginia lawstates, “No person shall abandon or dump any animal. Violation of this section is a Class 1 misdemeanor.”
Per theNational Weather Service, some areas of Richmond reached a low of 13 degrees on the night the pup was likely left out in the cold.
The latest rescue comes after Chipps-Peters urged people to stop abandoning animals while speaking to NBC-affiliated stationWWBTin September 2024.
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She explained that after an abandoned pet or stray is picked up off the street, there is a “holding period” at the open-admission shelter during which the animal cannot be available for adoption to leave time for the original owner to claim the pet.
“The shelter should be your absolute last resort. It’s stressful, we euthanize, we don’t want your pet there,” the spokesperson said, per the outlet. Owners looking to rehome a pet should seek out no-kill rescues for assistance or other options, like family and friends, before surrendering an animal to a kill shelter or abandoning them for animal control to find.
“Pets who have been loved and treated well don’t do well in our shelter,” Chipps-Peters added, according to the station.
source: people.com
