Reward Reaches $6,000 For Information On Chihuahua Found Abandoned Inside Closed Plastic Bags In Vineland
VINELAND, N.J. (CBS) -- PETA is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction on cruelty charges on the person who sealed a chihuahua inside several bags and abandoned her last week. PETA's reward is on top of the $1,000 offered by the South Jersey Regional Animal Shelter, which brings the total up to $6,000.
The chihuahua's name is Coco.
Coco was left along the railroad tracks last weekend. She was left zipped inside a duffel bag, inside a tied-closed plastic bag, and inside a tied-closed green grocery bag that was soaked in urine, according to the South Jersey Animal Shelter.
If not for the quick thinking of a good Samaritan walking his own dog over the weekend, she may not be here.
"We opened it up and inside of three bags actually was a small brown chihuahua who had been intentionally tied up in those bags and discarded. We thought she was adorable and named her Coco with her cute chocolatey fur," said Jessica Morrison, director of operations for the shelter.
While Coco is doing much better since being discovered, it appears as though it was a close call.
"She was very lucky that he found her when he did. When she came out of the bag she was stumbling and almost fell over so we're pretty certain that she would have not made it much longer had he not found her," Morrison said.
Coco is now with a foster family who will help nurse her back to full health so she can be placed up for adoption when she's ready, of course.
Police are investigating the incident. If you have any information, contact the Vineland Police Department at 856-691-4111.
