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Yarras P. Fletcher and Aliah K. Rivera, both of Greenfield, were charged with two counts each of felony animal cruelty on Friday, Aug. 18, according to the MSPCA’s Law Enforcement Division. The duo were the owners of Conrad, a 5-year-old pit bull mix.
Greenfield police reached out to MSPCA investigators in July after witnesses called officers to report a dog in immediate need to rescue.
Officers went to the home and found Conrad malnourished and dangerously thin. Witnesses told investigators they had repeatedly seen the dog hit, kick, and beaten with a blunt object in the past, the MSPCA said.
The owners surrendered Conrad to the MSPCA on July 24, and rescuers took the dog to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office dog shelter for treatment.
Veterinarians said Conrad had a host of issues from the extended periods of neglect and abuse. Mike Keiley, the MSPCA-Angell Director of Adoption Centers and Programs, detailed some of them in a news release.
It appears that Conrad’s rear left leg, tibia, and fibula were all broken in the past and never treated, so they healed on their own We also found 20 small rocks in his stomach, which luckily have passed on their own and didn’t need to be surgically removed.Conrad was also incredibly skinny when he came to us. On a scale of one to nine, with one being extremely emaciated and nine being obese, he was only a two.
Vets have slowly nursed Conrad back to health since his rescue. Shelter staff said Conrad remains friendly and trusting despite his past abuse.
The MSPCA hopes to find Conrad a forever home soon. Those interested in adopting him can visit the MSPCA’s Boston Adoption Center, at 350 S Huntington Ave. in Jamaica Plain, on Tuesday through Sunday, noon until 3 p.m.
Click here to apply for adoption online.
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