SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Along a stretch of Pioneer Road in Suffolk, Virginia, a dog was left to die in the water. The pit bull was trapped in a kennel with water up to its neck, surrounded by algae, but a few neighbors happened to walk by at the right time and saved the dog’s life.
One of the neighbors, who wishes to stay anonymous, sent NewsNation local affiliate WAVY a photo of the dog as it was trapped. They said the dog was “up to its briskets in the water.”
Suffolk Police said they were called to Pioneer Road Sunday as neighbors and firefighters worked together to lift the kennel and dog out of the water. They believe the dog was around 55 pounds. The neighbor said the pit bull was friendly. A leash was also found inside the kennel.
“Who could do that,” said Carmen Brown, a volunteer with the Suffolk Humane Society. “What kind of person would do that to an animal?”
Brown is thankful neighbors got there when they did. The time left in the water exposed the dog to a few dangers. It clearly could have drowned, and the water could have exposed it to multiple diseases.
“How does the dog, in that, use the restroom while it’s sitting in there? … It would have definitely passed away within a couple of days,” she said.
Brown said she has never seen an abandoned dog like this before.
“It had the sweetest little face,” she said. “I don’t think it’ll have a problem getting adopted. I think it’s a sweet dog.”
Rachel Bellis, a cruelty investigations director with PETA, said depending on the circumstances, and on what police can find out, whoever is responsible for leaving the dog there could face felony animal cruelty charges.
“There could be some serious cruelty charges,” Bellis said. “We have faith and the animal control in Suffolk that they will take this case seriously and do everything they can to bring the person or people responsible for abandoning this dog like this and really just left him to die to justice.”
“Putting a dog in a crate, lowering them into the water and leaving them there is cruelty,” Bellis added. “The fear that this dog must have felt, and if the dog knew the person that was doing this, I mean, it’s just such a betrayal.”
Suffolk Police said the dog is now in the care of Suffolk Animal Control and is in good condition. They ask anyone with information about what happened to contact animal control or the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP. They said this is an active investigation.