Puppy Found Frozen To Death Sparks Outrage In Atlantic County
ATLANTIC COUNTY, N.J., (CBS) -- Wednesday marked a new push to protect animals after two puppies were found freezing in the bitter cold. Sadly, one of those frozen puppies died in Atlantic County.
Now, officials in the area are looking to make sure this never happens again. Officials are preparing charges against the owner.
"Our call volume has double if not tripled," said Atlantic County SPCA investigator Kate Warden.
Warden has been on the go non-stop for two days after posting pictures on Facebook of a puppy that she found apparently frozen to death in Buena Vista Township.
Warden said the dead puppy and another dog were clearly malnourished and their water bowls were frozen solid. She took the older dog, Nina to the vet, but several hours later she died.
"I'm glad that she was warm and knew human companionship in the end," Warden said.
She said the two dog's deaths are provoking not only anger, but action.
Warden met with Eyewitness News this afternoon after responding to 15 calls of people reporting dogs left outside. One man surrendered a dog named karma and others received straw bedding and a notice.
"Cold water compliance request. Please bring your pet indoors," the notice read.
State law allows animals to stay outside in any kind of weather as long as they have some form of shelter, but there is no definition for adequate shelter.
At the Humane Society of Atlantic County, Executive Director Steven Dash says people need to bring their pets inside during the cold and the state needs to make stronger laws.
"We are actually working on a state level, on an anti-tethering ordinance that will not only keep people from keeping dogs chained up, but it will also address the amount of time dogs are allowed outside in the weather."
Online, there is a petition for an extreme weather pet ordinance for residents in Atlantic County and it has almost 2,000 signatures. People are also talking about going to the next freeholder meeting and demanding change.