In the latest case of animal cruelty in Monmouth County, someone left a starving puppy on the side of a road, struggling to breathe and so emaciated, she was unable to lift her head, according to the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The SPCA's animal control division got a call late Sunday night about a puppy abandoned in the area of Myrtle Avenue here, the SPCA said in an email.
Their animal control officers responded and took custody of the emaciated, eight-week old puppy.
'What we saw was beyond words,'' the SPCA said in the email. "Skin and bones, labored breathing and unable to lift her head, a puppy we've named "Matilda' was on the brink of death.''
Matilda was rushed to the SPCA's shelter in Eatontown for urgent medical care.
"She was shaking and whimpering, and we weren't sure she was going to make it,'' the SPCA said.
Workers wrapped the puppy in blankets and began giving her intravenous fluids.
"Matilda has been minimally responsive to our care and she's still in critical condition, but we're doing our absolute best to keep her comfortable,'' the SPCA said in the email.
The agency's Humane Law Enforcement Division is looking for anyone who may have information on where Matilda is from and what happened to her, "so that we can investigate this cruel act,'' the SPCA said.
