Dog Found Abandoned In Cage On Hingham Sidewalk
HINGHAM (CBS) – Police in Hingham are searching for the person who abandoned a dog on the side of the road.
He's a friendly little guy, a pretty healthy Shih Tzu mix says the vet, abandoned under somewhat odd circumstances.
"It looks like they might have attempted to do the right thing," said Hingham Police Sgt. Steven Dearth. "It just wasn't done fully correct."
He was found inside a cage complete with food, a blanket, and dog toys seemingly all the comforts of home except he'd been left on the roadside.
It was neighbors on Downer Avenue who first spotted the dog just after 11 a.m. The cage was sitting on the sidewalk overlooking Hingham Harbor.
"We're all dog people, we're all dog people around here," said May Vuilleumier. "Who the heck would do such a thing?"
That's one of the neighbors who discovered the pup. She's shocked that someone would abandon him, but believes the owner just couldn't take care of the dog and correctly surmised this was a street where he would find welcoming arms.
"They knew that this dog was going to be helped," Vuilleumier said. "I think they wanted to do the best thing for the dog."
Police agree this pet owner's motives were probably good, but argue that parking a pooch by the roadside in freezing temps is a risky way to seek help. Dropping him at a shelter or even the police station would've been wiser.
"It wasn't handled the way it should have been handled by the person who left the dog there," Sgt. Dearth said.
Whoever abandoned the dog could face animal cruelty charges, but police doubt it rises to that level. The Animal Rescue League says the dog cannot be adopted until police sort through the investigation, but people are already offering.