Abandoned, tied up and left alone in the blistering heat is how the Cambridge District Humane Society found a little black dog over the weekend.
The dog who was later named "White Beard" was discovered severely emaciated with wounds around his neck and covered in maggots in a local park.
"We can’t even imagine what he must have been feeling and our hearts shattered when we saw him," wrote the humane society in a Facebook post.
The little black poodle mix was taken to Holliday Veterinary Hospital on Cedar Street where they were checked for any underlying health issues that could be causing him to be unusually thin.
After the tests came back clean, it was determined he had been severely malnourished and hadn't been fed in some time.
"His wounds are being treated, his tummy is being fed and his heart is healing," said the humane society.
In their post, they note that no one should ever abandon a pet and there are other alternatives like surrendering the animal to the humane society.
Reactions from the community are just as heartbroken as those who found him.
"This sickens my stomach... We will probably see more of this as the COVID adoptions are now an issue since people are back to work because people didn't think through the long-term necessities of owning a pet," wrote Nancy Corbett Brittenden. "I can see how people can become overwhelmed. However, this is not an excuse for abuse."
"I will never understand what kind of people can do this, animals give us nothing but love and should get it in return," said Frank Schwab.
"What’s amazing is that this dog will learn to love and trust again because he’s being shown the love and care he always deserved finally. My heart is broken reading this," wrote Ashley Nicole.
The humane society is using this as a lesson and a reminder about its emergency pet food bank that can help supplement food for your animal.
The food is available for pick up only at the shelter located at 1650 Dunbar Rd. Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and can only be accessed by pet owners twice per month.
"The focus of the Emergency Pet Food Bank is to first and foremost provide food to pets in need," they said.
They also offer toys, treats and cat litter that are provided based on availability. Members of the community donate all of the food and they do not carry specific brands.
The humane society will be posting White Beard's journey back to full health and hopefully finding his forever home on their social media pages.
To find out how to support White Beard and all of the other animals at the Cambridge Humane Society, visit the website.
