Suffolk County Couple Adopts Dog Found Abandoned In Lindenhurst House
WEST BABYLON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Ziggy, the Shih Tzu-mix found abandoned in a house in Lindenhurst last month, has found a forever home.
The dog could barely walk when it was brought to the Town of Babylon Animal Shelter on July 17 because his fur was so matted and nails so overgrown.
Suffolk County Couple Adopts Dog Found Abandoned In Lindenhurst House
Roy Gross, chief of the Suffolk SPCA, said the dog looked like an old mop.
"I asked one of the veterinarians, 'What is this dog feeling? What kind of pain is it in?' and he said, 'Well, if I grabbed your hair and twisted it, that dog felt that 24/7.' That's what kind of pain that dog was in," Gross told 1010 WINS.
Workers spent more than three hours shaving off four pounds of matted fur from the 11-pound dog and Ziggy had to undergo physical therapy to learn how to walk properly again, Gross said.
The dog is about 6 years old and Gross said it appears Ziggy had been neglected for his entire life.
"The matting was just absolutely pathetic," Gross said, adding that Ziggy is "still a sweet and loving dog."
Ziggy has been adopted by a Suffolk County couple.
"When I saw the picture of him before he got shaved I went pretty much ballistic," Ziggy's new owner said. "I went to my wife and I said, 'We gotta do something about this dog."
The director of the Babylon Animal Shelter said the couple has a lot of experience with dogs with special needs, 1010 WINS reported.
A $2,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction of those responsible for abandoning Ziggy. Anyone with information is asked to call the Suffolk County SPCA at 631-382-7722.
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