Dog abandoned near Helen Woodward Animal Shelter dies from injuries

For centuries, dogs have been considered man’s best friend.

“Dogs are kind, they have unconditional love,” said Jessica Gercke, public relations director for the Helen Woodward Animal Center.

These are furry four-legged creatures who, in exchange for their love, ask us to help them survive.

“I think it’s very important that people know that these animals are our responsibility and that they are willing to repay so much love if we just show them a little kindness,” Gercke said.

But that’s not always the case, Gercke added.

CCTV footage shows a man driving in and out of Woodward Center suspiciously on Monday night.

“He then shows him pulling some things out of the car and calling for a dog, who then follows him across the street to our companion animal hospital,” Gercke said. “He keeps leaving things there, tells the dog to stay, comes back, gets in his car and leaves.”

In the video, the dog looks confused, not understanding why it was left there.

“We don’t know why he was left here, but I will say that the footage shows an elderly dog,” Gerke said. “And I know that we have people who contact us when the dog is older, has health problems, and they say they don’t want to take care of him anymore.”

A few hours later, a dog matching the same description was found severely injured in the middle of a nearby road. According to Gercke, the dog was either hit by a car or attacked by coyotes. She says he was picked up by four good Samaritans and taken to a local hospital.

“They said the look in the dog’s eyes was just tragic,” Gercke said.

The dog died before reaching the facility.

“Knowing the result of this and that just a couple of hours later he was attacked, hit or hurt, the way his life ended was so heartbreaking, so painful, ”Gerke said.

She hopes his story serves as a reminder that there are always other options.

“Obviously they can go to rescue facilities and talk about pet abandonment, sometimes there is a fee for that,” Gercke said. “Ultimately they can go to the county animal care service and that’s the place to take their pets.”

But giving up a pet is not one. In fact, it’s illegal to leave a pet in San Diego. The law states, in part: “Any person who violates any provision of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor.”

The Woodward Center is offering a $5,000 reward to anyone who can identify the person throwing the dog in their footage.

The community asks to contact the Woodward Center for advice at 858-756-4177, ext. 1.