An animal hospital is recounting how they saved a dog’s life after the animal was left alone at the center’s parking lot over the weekend.
A dog, newly named Oscar, was dropped off at Lakeside Animal Hospital in Plantation and left for dead, employees said.
Security cameras captured the driver of a black sedan carrying Oscar as he was taken out of the car and placed on the ground outside the facility.
“You leaving your pet like that is just cruel,” said Kennel Supervisor at Lakeside Animal Hospital, Estee Froehlich. “It’s so cruel.”
Video shows the frightened dog chasing after the car as it drove away, and ran onto a busy street. A car on that road had to dodge Oscar, nearly running him over.
Froehlich said she was scared when she watched the close call.
“All of a sudden, I see this little guy,” she said. “He ran into the street. I was mortified. I really thought he was going to get killed.”
Luckily, the worker was at the right place at the right time and was able to bring him inside.
“I just can’t believe somebody would do something like that, like that’s evil,” said Froehlich. “They are our babies, and I just can’t imagine someone thinking that’s OK.”
Staff at Lakeside said that abandonments similar to Oscar’s happen often.
“He tried to get back in the car and follow the vehicle, which usually means that the dog was familiar with that vehicle and the owner,” said Practice Manager at Lakeside Animal Hospital, Danni Blunt.
Now, the staff at Lakeside has a message for pet owners who don’t see another way around abandonment.
“There’s so many different avenues, where we would rather people reach out to us or rescues, so that we can try to get these babies to help that they need and get them re-homed,” said Blunt.
Staffers say Oscar’s abandonment was not only inhumane, but potentially against the law.
It’s unclear whether the person who dropped the dog off in the parking lot was the owner, as they could possibly be facing misdemeanor charges.
If you are looking to adopt Oscar, Lakeside Animal Hospital is working on getting him a forever home. You can visit their website here.