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"If this little dog had been taken to an animal shelter, he would have had a chance at finding a family who would love him like he deserves,” PETA Vice President Colleen O'Brien. “But instead, he was tossed out of a car like a piece of trash.”
The poodle, named Bear, was receiving intensive veterinary care for his injuries, which include pelvic fractures, skin lesions, and a possible skull fracture and herniated diaphragm, Paterson Chief Animal Control Officer John DeCando said.
"When we picked him up, we didn't believe he would even make it to the hospital," DeCando said.
He was emaciated and had matted fur, which means he likely suffered from long-term neglect.
“It was clear…that he has not had much kindness in his life,” the Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge wrote in a post on Tuesday.
Bear was thrown from a car near 927 Market Street in Paterson around 1:30 p.m. Saturday. He didn’t have a microchip or collar.
Since then, he’s begun to respond, “lifting his head and looking at his doctor when she lovingly spoke to him,” the refuge wrote.
“Sadly, at the same time, Bear began to have increased respiratory effort,” the Tuesday post says. “We could wait no longer to repair his diaphragmatic hernia (his stomach had herniated into his chest cavity from the force of his injury).
“Surgery was very high risk, but Bear would be sleeping, and it would give him the chance at life that he so desperately deserves,” the refuge post continues. “We had to give him that chance.
“During surgery, a large tear was found, herniating Bear’s liver into his chest cavity. Surgery was complicated but successful. A chest tube and feeding tube were inserted to assist with recovery.
“Bear has been fighting strong, holding on by a thread,” according to the refuges post. “[H]e is proving to be a tremendous force. In a time of great uncertainty, sometimes it feels as if he is fighting for us all.
“It is our hope to give Bear the chance to live, to be cared for, and to know love. “
Meanwhile, PETA turned to the public for help in solving the case, “especially if this dog's abuser has other animals at home.”
Anyone with information about who threw Bear from the car is asked to contact Paterson Detective Richard Martinez at (973) 881-3640.
PLEASE SHARE this story. Thank you. #justice4bear
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ALSO SEE: Wyckoff police on Tuesday announced that they'd charged an 18-year-old borough man and six 17-year-olds with breaking into a popular Bergen County farm, riding donkeys and abusing a miniature horse.
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