Maggots and Matted Hair: Dog Thrown Next to Rescue's Dumpster Endured Years of 'Neglect and Torment'
Editor’s Note: Our readers responded strongly to this story when it originally ran; we’re reposting it here in case you missed it.
Those who give of their time and resources to help unwanted animals often see the worst of humanity in the sad cases they deal with — but even long-time rescuers can encounter cases that leave them shocked at new levels of depravity.
That’s what staff at Tri-County Humane in Boca Raton, Florida, experienced on June 8 when someone tossed a small dog over the fence next to the rescue’s dumpster.
That action would have been horrible enough on its own, but the state of the dog completely overwhelmed its horrible method of delivery.
“I don’t know how to start a post like this,” Tri-County Humane posted on Facebook. “I guess it’s because I never saw anything like it before and personally I hope to never again.
“Our shelter was blessed with the honor of saving Parker when someone threw her over our fence by the dumpster in the middle of the night.
“Her hair was cemented to her skin, her nails so long they were wrapped around her paws and wounds so old they were filled with maggots. The smell is something I will never forget.”
The hair around her eyes was so matted her eyes were permanently forced open, and one eye wasn’t even fully developed. She had tumors. Open sores with maggots. Her temperature was low.
It took five people two hours to shave the Shih Tzu’s tiny body while she was sedated, and a veterinarian tended to her many wounds as they were cleared.
When they were done, no one knew if Parker would even survive the night — but for perhaps the first time in her life, the little dog was surrounded with love, and the staff told her that the worst was behind her.
“Supporters, we didn’t know if she would make it through the night,” the post continued. “Her tiny body had been through so much neglect and torment, for so many years, but she did. And she made it through Thursday and then Friday. She lost 2 pounds of filth and hair, and she was not gonna give up.”
Dr. Lindsey Naimoli, who is helping Parker on the road to recovery, believes the dog is about 6 years old and has spent most of her life unloved, unhandled, kept in a cage and used for breeding.
“She’s been diagnosed with anemia, infection, parasites, dehydration,” Naimoli told WPBF-TV. “She is going to strive and do well. We’re going to do everything that we can to protect her and help her get healthy.”
Parker’s story has gotten a lot of attention. On June 15, Tri-County Humane shared a video of Parker all cleaned up and eating breakfast with gusto, and the video already has over 11,000 views. On a July 15 update, Naimoli said Parker is responding well to treatment and is gaining weight.
While Parker is certainly in a better place than she was just days earlier, there could be others like her suffering silently.
Based on the theory that Parker was part of a breeding operation, Naimoli believes there are other dogs in bad condition wherever Parker came from — the group just hopes they can find them and help them, too.
“It would be extremely rare to just have one animal treated horribly,” she said. “I think this is one of many.”
Parker is expected to recover and be available for adoption as soon as September.
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