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Authorities: Someone's Abandoning Dogs In The Middle Of A Busy N.J. Road

WOODBRIDGE, N.J. (CBSNewYork) - Two similar dogs have been abandoned in within ten days in Middlesex County, and police believe the cases are related.

A 3-year-old pit bull mix named Margarita is soaking up all the attention she can get. It's well deserved: She was found abandoned Sunday in the center median on busy Route 1 near Green Street in Woodbridge Township.

Abandoned Dog
Margarita the dog. (credit: Facebook/Woodbridge Animal Group - WAG)

"She seems in great spirits. She's so sweet," CBS2's Meg Baker said.

"She is. She's great. She was a little skittish when we first got her, for about a day or so, but all the love and care from the volunteers and the animal control officers. She's very playful," said Woodbridge Township Director of Health Dennis Green.

Margarita is being nursed back to good health at the Woodbridge Animal Shelter. It's suspected she was crated in her own filth for much of her life.

"She doesn't look to be underweight. She's pretty well fed. Her teeth are pretty good. But it's more or less her flat feet, long nails, urine stained paws," said Woodbridge Animal Control Officer Austin Clyburn. "She was kind of filthy. We wiped her down with wipes and gave her a bath."

Police say Margarita's case is connected to another dog found abandoned on the road ten days earlier.

"Unfortunately, that dog got into the traffic, got hit by a car and subsequently died," said Green.

Both dogs were similar in size, color and had on the same exact collar, Baker reported.

The Township reminds pet owners there are other solutions if you can not take care of an animal.

"It's a very dangerous thing to abandon animals. It's cruel to the animal itself," said Green. "The second thing is that there's alternatives. We can take your animal from you. You can surrender it to an animal shelter."

An as for Margarita?

"She's full grown. She's approximately 20 pounds. She's a perfect weight. She's not getting any bigger. She's great for an apartment, an older couple. She's very sweet, she's good with kids, good with other animals," Clyburn said. "She's an all-around awesome dog."

She was found across from Tex-Mex restaurant Jose Tejas, hence the name Margarita, and she could be adopted just in time for Cinco de Mayo.

Woodbridge Animal Group is offering a cash reward for information that leads them to Margarita's previous "owner." For more information, you can call (732) 855-0600 Ext. 2034. To view other animals up for adoption there, click here.

 

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