Park Rangers outside of Kansas City, Missouri made a shocking and heartbreaking discovery at Longview Lake on Friday. A terrified, mud-caked dog – since named Deputy by his rescuers – had been chained to a 12″ x 12″ concrete masonry block and presumably left to drown as the waters rose. He is now recovering at the Great Plains SPCA in Independence, MO where staff describes him as a “loving, happy dog.”
Park Rangers heard some weird noises coming from Longview Lake, he then decided to go and see where the noises, which sounded more like cries, came from. He suddenly saw the poor dog, fighting within the muddy water and shivering from the cold. Rangers immediately contacted Jackson County Animal Control. One of the employees of Great Plains SPCA, said:
‘I was very sad for him,” Hampton told KMBC News 9 . “It was obvious this had been done intentionally.”
Adding to this tragic mystery is the fact that Deputy appears to have been well cared for. He is a healthy weight, has been neutered, and after a good bath, SPCA staff discovered a soft, shiny coat. The Lab/Shepherd mix is estimated to be between five and seven years old.
When Deputy finally felt safe, he showed his amazing soul and friendly personality. The stuff from SPCA are almost sure that he will find his forever home very quick, since he is a very lovely pup. On Wednesday Depoty will be up for adoption.
Deputy was rescued with minimal physical and emotional trauma, however the investigators want to find the individual which put Deputy’s life in danger.
“They need to answer for their actions,” Hampton said. “It just makes you wonder what people are thinking, and what kind of person could do something like that.”
After two weeks, Deputy has found his new adoptive dad, John Pitburn! Now this deserving boy is off to a new life with a loving home, a kind owner and a dog sister! Pitburn told the Kansas City Star:
“I have a 16-year-old lab, she’ll be 17 in October, and I was thinking about getting another dog, and this popped up in the news. I thought, ‘That’s got to be a sign.’ I’m a big dog person, and I just can’t believe someone would treat a dog that way. I just thought I needed to get him.”
After several visits to Great Plains, Pitburn played a lot with Deputy and realized that they share a special bond with each other, without hesitation John adopted little Deputy.
Many others contacted the Great Plains SPCA about Deputy, but the staff were so impressed with Pitburn’s commitment that he became the clear favorite to adopt him.
We are very happy for Deputy! Finally the little pooch will have someone to love him and protect him.
