EMPORIA, Va. – A Boston terrier’s life has improved after a police officer rescued him from a tree, where he had been left to starve.
A lot changed for the little guy in just the past five days.
He now has a foster home and warm bed, but last Wednesday, the dog now called Marvel wasn't doing so well.
Marvel was skinny and tied to a tree.
The pup was tiny and living in terrible conditions, said Emporia Police Officer Willie Richards.
"He was real thin, there was no water, the shelter was nothing but a crate on the ground, with nothing on the top or on the sides,” he said.
Officer Richards called Animal Control when he spotted the dog, who suggested asking the owner if they would sign over the dog.
Marvel was skinny and tied to a tree
"The ultimate goal is to help the dog and in our case she was willing to sign over the rights to the animal, which was better for us in the sense, because we could immediately get the dog, we could immediately get it to the vet, immediately find it a foster home."
The owner told officer Richards that she'd only had the dog about two weeks.
He's been rescued now
"Don't blame her entirely, a lot of people get dogs that they can't financially take care of anymore, so there's always issues that arise, luckily we were able to step in and intervene,” Richards said.
The leader of a local rescue group agreed.
"You do want to see charges taken out in some case but ultimately I think everyone wants what's best for the dog,” said Amanda Sverchek, of Happy Endings Animal Rescue Team, Inc. “And in this case, I think that's what he got."
