ESCONDIDO, Calif. (KGTV) – The Escondido community is committed to helping a dog that has been neglected and then abandoned.
“It killed me to see that she was literally left there to die,” said Nicole Shaffer.
Shaffer found the dog Lucky on Christmas morning at the Carmel Mountain Ranch Recreation Center with a plastic bag around her neck and one of her paws. Shaffer said she could tell Lucky was malnourished and injured.
“I had to use my keys to get this [plastic bag] from this dog’s neck. She wasn’t able to use her back legs, “she said.
Shaffer took Lucky to the San Diego Humane Society in Escondido, where she administered pain medication and antibiotics to her.
She also posted about finding the dog on the Nextdoor app. There Jason Graham said he found out about Lucky.
“Just leaving an animal to me is abuse, especially the way it was left there,” said Graham.
So Graham decided to promote Lucky. He met Shaffer on Thursday at the San Diego Humane Society Escondido campus to pick up the dog.
“I miss having a dog in the house … I love animals and I hate to see and hear any animal that has been molested in any way,” said Graham.
“I’m excited because it was really a fight,” said Shaffer.
Lucky has several health problems, including a spinal disease, according to the SDHS. She also has difficulty walking and getting up.
Even so, Graham said he was excited to take Lucky in and help her get better.
“She’s going to need help walking, it was pretty disturbing to hear and it cuts a bit on my heart so I want to help,” said Graham.
SDHS Escondido has opened an investigation into who left Lucky. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call 619-299-7012 and press 1.