Dog Rescued After Being Abandoned and Tied to a Pole with a Note Alongside Highway: ‘See That She Gets Good Care’
"[The highway] is no place to abandon a 4-year-old animal, and leaving a note with well-wishes just doesn’t cut it,” said the Nassau County district attorney
FOX 5 New York
An image of Roxi after she was rescuedThe search is on to find a home for an abandoned dog named Roxi, who was rescued after being tied to the side of a post on a highway in Long Island, New York.
The New York State Police said a bystander found the 4-year-old English Mastiff on Monday, July 1, around 5:30 a.m. on the Southern State Parkway near Exit 21, according to WABC-TV, News 12 Long Island and WPIX.
Per the outlets, the canine had been found tied to a light pole with a food bowl next to her and a not that read, “This is Roxi, a trained American Bullmastiff. She is four years old. She has been fed and given a flea bath, she may still have issues with them. See that she gets good care.”
Garden City Sanitation worker Ray Quinones told WABC-TV that he spotted the dog while on his way to work and decided to investigate.
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"As I got closer she started to get a little happy, but then as I got even closer, she got nervous and very hesitant so I stayed like maybe three or four feet away from her the whole time," he recalled to the outlet.
Officials noted that the dog, who had not been microchipped, was taken to the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter for evaluation, per WPIX. Long Island News 12 reported that the English Mastiff was found to be underweight, but was doing well.
In the meantime, authorities have been investigating where the dog came from and asked that any witnesses with information come forward.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly told News 12 Long Island and the New York Post that the person who abandoned the dog may face a misdemeanor charge or a felony.
“The Southern State Parkway is arguably one of our most traveled and treacherous highways on Long Island,” Donnelly said in a statement to the Post. “It is no place to abandon a 4-year-old animal, and leaving a note with well-wishes just doesn’t cut it.”
The New York State Police and Nassau County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on the incident.
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The Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter told WABC-TV that amid the widespread news of Roxi’s rescue, several people “from across the United States of America” have reached out to the shelter saying “they want to find a loving home.”
The shelter’s director Ashley Behrens shared that Roxi was still adjusting to life at the shelter, saying, "She's a sweet girl, she's just trying to adjust to the big change in her life."
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