Dog Rescued From Abandoned Cleveland Co. Apartment

The search is on for a man accused of abandoning his dog in a Norman apartment. Deputies say the dog was locked in a closet with no food or water for nearly a month.

Investigators say the dog's owner was evicted from the apartment for not paying the rent. Left behind inside his apartment were his belongings including 3-year-old Hope in her kennel.

Her favorite thing to do now is run and play in Ian Clem's big backyard.

It's a second chance at life for the 3-year-old Rottweiler who fittingly is now named Hope.

“She was hoping for another chance on life. I thought up the name. We thought up several names for her was one that really stuck with her,” said Ian Clem, Hope’s new owner.

Clem came across a post on Facebook for Hope looking for a new home.

Hope was found in May deserted by her owner inside a Saratoga Springs apartment for nearly a month. No food. No water. She was trapped inside a dark closest inside her crate. Two apartment employees found her by chance when they were tasked to clean out the apartment.

Hope was 30 pounds under weight, and covered in feces and urine when she was finally rescued.

“The way he did it wasn't right. I mean you wouldn't do your own kid that way? And she's just like a kid,” said Clem.

Hope and Clem are inseparable a bond slowly developed over the past few weeks.

“She was real skittish. Wouldn't go to nobody. I had to coax her out of the truck with food,” said Clem.

Hope has gained about 20 pounds since she was rescued and enjoys her new found freedom.

Cleveland County investigators charged Joshia Freeman, Hope's previous owner with animal cruelty, but he's yet to be found.

“If he didn't want the dog he shouldn't have never gotten her in the first place. If she was too much for her to handle he could have just let her go or even took her to the pound,” said Clem.

Anyone who has information about Freeman's whereabouts, call the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office tip line at (405) 701-8870, Crime Stoppers at (405) 701-8872, or send an anonymous tip using the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office mobile app.