The anonymous caller said a German shepherd dog was always tied up and left outside, even in extremely cold weather. The caller said at night he can hear the dog dropping his food bowl on the ground over and over.
Trooper Donohoe found the dog and noticed it was very thin, unkempt and had patchy fur, consistent with a neglected animal. He also saw the dog was tied with a 5-foot-long leash and had no food or water within sight. Based on the overall condition of the dog, he took the dog and transported him to the Beacon Falls Animal Hospital.
Veterinarians found it to be a blatant starvation, neglect case. The dog was 20-25 pounds underweight, had various medical issues, including frost bite, damaged ears and heart worms.
Jonathan Foster, 26, was found to be the dog’s owner. He was arrested and charged with cruelty to animals, tethering and confining a dog for an unreasonable period of time, failure to license, and failure to vaccinate.
Foster is scheduled to appear in Derby Superior Court on March 1.
The dog remains in the custody of the Town of Oxford who will be looking to find an adopted home for him.
