McAdoo police rescued a dog left tied to a street sign in the bitter cold Wednesday night after two people called them saying the canine had been there for about 1 1/2 hours.
The white male pit bull appeared abused, police said. Officers are searching for the dog's owner, who will face charges.
Officer Tony Divirgilio said that when he came into work at 6:30 a.m. Thursday, he learned about the dog, which had spent the night at the police station.
The dog appeared emaciated, he said, as his bone structure could easily be seen through his skin. Scabs that appeared to be puncture marks were scattered over the dog's body, including on his head and ears. His nose was also extremely dry, the officer said. A dry nose is often a sign of poor health in a dog.
Borough police called the dog warden, who was expected to pick up the dog Thursday morning and take him for medical care. Officers were unsure what the dog's medical condition was.
It was minus 2 degrees when Divirgilio came into work, and he suspected it was only about 4 degrees when Officer Jeffrey Tanner answered a call at the police station from a woman reporting a dog had been tied to a no-parking sign for about 1 1/2 hours.
Schuylkill County Communications Center dispatched him to that same location - South Kennedy Drive and Adams Street - after a second person called about the dog's condition. Kline Township police arrived to assist.
Tanner found the dog tied to a pole by a black leash attached to the dog's gray and green camouflage collar, Divirgilio said. Upon being released from the pole, the dog jumped into the warm police cruiser, Divirgilio said.
The dog spent the rest of the night with Tanner, a part-time officer working the overnight shift and remained until Thursday morning when the police contacted the dog warden.
Divirgilio said the dog ate an entire box of treats during his stay with officers and though at first he was skittish and scared, he warmed up to the officers.
The dog also warmed up to other McAdoo employees who were greeted by him upon arriving at work Thursday, including street department employee Michael Bowman, who took the dog outside and spoke gently to him, telling him he was a "good boy."
When Tresckow resident Joelle Sando heard about the abused and abandoned dog, she said she felt she had to do something to help.
"I was horrified and outraged that someone could be so heartless," Sando said.
"I decided to redirect my anger, do something positive. I decided the least I could do was to post a reward of $100 to anyone who has information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible," Sando said. "The next thing I knew, within minutes, local businesses joined in, adding to the reward. Then other people began pledging more money."
As of 9 p.m. Thursday, the reward fund was up to about $600, Sando said.
Her drive to help the McAdoo dog was inspired by a malnourished and abandoned pit bull she adopted in Hazleton in 2000. The dog, who she named "Karma," became her loyal companion for the next nine years.
"When (pit bull) 'Karma' passed away in 2009, I made a promise to her that I would always defend her breed in her honor," Sando said.
"We hear too many negative stories about pit bulls, so spreading awareness about how wonderful and loyal these dogs can be with adequate direction and training, I believe is important," she said.
Judging from the McAdoo dog's injuries, Sando said she believes the animal may have been used as a bait dog in a local dog fighting ring.
"That infuriates me," she said.
If her suspicions prove true and the reward fund leads to an arrest, Sando said the action might lead police to an even broader investigation into a local dogfighting enterprise.
"Maybe finding and rescuing this little dog is a blessing that can be the first step in ridding this area of criminals who fight dogs for money. That, to me, is Karma," Sando said.
