Dog Left Outside Edmond Animal Shelter In Below Freezing Temps

Jacqueline Sit, News 9

EDMOND, Oklahoma -- A worker at the Edmond Animal Shelter found a 1-year-old dog left with no food or water tied to a sign Wednesday morning in negative wind chills and freezing temperatures. Now police are searching for the person responsible.

Edmond Police Captain Nicki Smith said she has seen her share of neglected pets, but in her 25 year on the job she's never seen a case so cold and cruel.

"I can't wrap my head around the kind of mentality that is despicable for a person to do to dump an animal in those kind of conditions," Smith said.

An animal welfare worker found the German Shepherd/Retriever mix tied to a sign outside the shelter. Police believe the dog was left behind sometime between 6 p.m. Tuesday and 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.

"He was visibly shivering, of course, and snow was accumulating on his hair and that kind of thing," Smith said. "We don't know how long he had been out there before she found him."

Now Edmond Police hope someone will help them track down the pooch's owner.

"I'm hoping that somebody recognize the dog. It's my thought it was probably dumped by an owner, and because it doesn't seem reasonable to me that somebody who would be a Good Samaritan would pick up a stray animal from the street, would turn around and dump it in the conditions we had last night," Smith said.

The dog is doing well and will be ready for adoption in three days. For now, police are just hoping someone who may know who the dog belongs to will come forward.

Whoever left the dog could face several charges including animal cruelty, neglect and abandonment, which is a felony.

Anyone with information should call Edmond Police at 405-359-4420.