For months, a community in Merced, California kept asking one question louder and louder: is anyone going to help this dog? This week, they finally got an answer.
Concerns about a husky named Sweetie first surfaced back in November, when the president of the Merced SPCA said she witnessed Sweetie’s owner, an unhoused man, allegedly pick the dog up by the neck and slam her onto the concrete floor of a local Home Depot.
At the time, Sweetie appeared severely underweight, with her ribs and hip bones visibly showing.
The SPCA reported the incident to Merced Police and repeatedly offered help, including food for the owner and an offer to take Sweetie into their care.
Those offers were declined.
Over the following months, the SPCA and members of the public continued reporting additional alleged incidents.
Police eventually conducted a welfare check, and a licensed veterinarian who examined Sweetie determined she was in good health at that time.
She was returned to her owner, a decision that didn’t ease concerns in the community.
Then a video surfaced showing Sweetie with her ribs visibly protruding and what appeared to be a muzzle covering her mouth.
The Merced SPCA publicly disagreed with the earlier “good health” assessment and said foster homes were ready and waiting if Sweetie could legally be removed from the situation.
Police intensified their investigation, gathering weeks of evidence and speaking with multiple witnesses who came forward with firsthand accounts.
That additional information ultimately led officers to take Sweetie into protective custody.
The case is now with the Merced County District Attorney’s Office, which will determine whether animal cruelty charges will be filed.
This past week, animal advocates gathered outside the DA’s office, hoping to ensure Sweetie is never returned to her previous living situation.
For now, the update everyone’s been waiting for is a good one. According to the Merced SPCA, Sweetie is eating, no longer cowering, and described as “a very loving dog.”
“Thank you to our worldwide animal lovers community,” the SPCA wrote. “Sweetie will now get the care, love and life she deserves. It took a village to save this sweet girl, and we are forever grateful.”
Do you think community pressure like this makes a real difference in cases like Sweetie’s?
Source:
ABC30 Action News – “Supporters rally for justice for Merced husky amid animal cruelty investigation”