Dog Thought To Be Dead in Basement Saved Just In Time

They couldn’t tell what the ball of fur on the floor was at first. Was it alive or dead? What kind of animal was it? The SPCA of Erie County received a call from police on December 1, 2014 that there was a “dead dog” in the basement of a home in Buffalo, New York.

Peace Officer Jessica Coughlin went down into the basement and saw something blocked off in the corner of the room. She couldn’t tell what she was looking at, at first.

“I thought it was simply a ball of fur. There was no movement. I couldn’t tell if it was an animal, and if so, what kind of animal it was,” she said in the SPCA press release. “I couldn’t tell one end from the other, couldn’t tell if whatever the animal was was alive or dead.”

She went over and determined the ball of fur was actually a severely-matted dog unable to move but still breathing. The dog was rushed to their emergency shelter. And she was sedated so that they could begin to work on removing the disgusting fur.

Dori was barely recognizable under all her matted fur.

Over 34% of her body weight was caked with feces-encrusted fur.

It was difficult to tell where Dori’s front paw started and where the matted fur began. 

It took two and a half hours to remove the painful mats. The Shih Tzu went from 11 pounds to 7.3 pounds after all the matted fur was shaved off. 

Vets found twine around one of her back legs that had gone down to the bone and fractured one of her toes.

The also cleaned out the infections in her ears and eye. 

Although she was used to sitting on the hard floor, Little Dori now has a comfy bed to lay on and is being kept warm in a new jacket.

She’s starting to get a little bit more interested in her food and her environment. But for now she’s getting lots of rest.

The SPCA of Erie County filmed this video of Dori when she first arrived at the shelter.

Dori was surrendered to the SPCA by her owners, who are facing animal cruelty charges pending further investigation.

It’s horrible to think someone could neglect a dog so badly. I’m glad Dori is getting the loving care she needs! Please share Dori’s story and consider helping out your local humane society.

**Story Update:**

Dori’s owner pled guilty to a Class A misdemeanor in court. In April 2015, she received one year conditional discharge, monthly inspections by the SPCA for one year and banned from owning pets for one year. She also was ordered to perform 100 hours of community service and pay the SPCA restitution.

Meanwhile, Dori found a loving forever home shortly after her rescue!

I’m so glad she now has a family to love and care for her!



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