Increasing instances of dog abandonment in the West Valley have residents sounding the alarm over animal welfare, according to reports from ABC15. Community members report seeing more stray and dumped dogs, with one local shelter operator noting a rise in call volumes about such incidents.
Tammy Johnson, who runs a small animal shelter in the area, told ABC15, "We're getting a lot of calls, sightings with packs of dogs, lost dogs, dumped dogs, stray dogs," further adding the disheartening circumstances under which these abandoned animals are found. Johnson also mentioned that economic pressures might be to blame, as the costs of pet care continue to rapidly rise. To fully comprehend the severity of the situation, one has only to gauge the expectancy for a 7% increase in pet expenses this year alone, as reported by the pet care website Rover.
Meanwhile, in a related incident highlighted by FOX 10 Phoenix, a dog was discovered abandoned and malnourished in a West Valley neighborhood, an act caught on camera and leading to a police search for the suspect. The dog, after being discarded from a red SUV, was rescued by a local resident who said, "I carried the dog all the way home with my dog and fed it."
Jose Cruz, an officer with Maricopa County Animal Care and Control (MCACC), covers the West Valley area and acknowledges the uptick in such cases. Cruz is on record saying, "It’s definitely increased since I’ve started working on the west side. I’ve noticed more and more." He also urged residents not to become discouraged but to continuously report incidents of abandoned dogs. The county is in progress to address these issues, including plans for a new West Valley animal shelter to help alleviate the problem.
Johnson told ABC15 that locals are "losing their livestock. They're losing their little dogs. They're losing the animals they work hard for." These acts of abandonment present a significant threat to community safety and well-being. For anyone who witnesses signs of animal dumping, they're urged to report it to Maricopa County Animal Care and Control. Reaching out multiple times may be necessary to ensure action is taken in these often urgent situations.
The surge of such abandonment cases has prompted both community and legal responses, concerning increasing awareness and, in some cases, leading to suspects turning themselves in. The recently captured pup, thrown from a red SUV, will now be in the care of the Arizona Humane Society, where it will hopefully find a new home. "Don't be a soulless human," Joanna Buesen, the woman who found the puppy, expressed in an interview with FOX 10 Phoenix.
