The handwritten note taped to the sign for the Morrisville Dog Park is heartbreaking and infuriating.
It starts: “Dear person who finds these dogs…”
The anonymous author told a story of rescuing six young dogs from an old lady who already had too many dogs that keep getting pregnant. When the woman ran out of food, the letter writer wrote they were able to convince her to give up the animals.
But when the rescuer couldn’t keep the dogs,(“my apartment but its no dogs allowed. Someone saw me and snitched.”), he or she left them in the dog park at East Philadelphia and Delmorr avenues.
”This is the safest place I could think of to put them. I hope they find homes.”
Now Morrisville Police are investigating what happened after pet owners visiting the park found the abandoned pups around 7 a.m. Saturday morning.
“Six dogs were abandoned at the dog park, a choice that, although seemingly motivated by good intentions, is not the correct approach,” a post on the Morrisville Police Department Facebook page read. “Please be aware that animal shelters are available for individuals who can no longer care for their pets.”
The dogs appeared a little malnourished but otherwise healthy, and they may be labs or mixed breeds, Morrisville Police Officer Amanda DeLuca said.
According to the note, the letter writer didn’t know the dogs’ names, but said the “fluffy ones” were less than a year old and the brown ones were 18 months.
The people who found the dogs immediately agreed to take three of them, DeLuca said. The other three were taken to the Bucks County SPCA shelter in Lahaska, she added.
In Pennsylvania it is illegal to abandon — or attempt to abandon — a dog, which is classified as animal abuse.
The summary offense carries penalties of a fine of $300–$1,000, plus costs, and liability for the dog’s care during the time they were abandoned. Charges can be upgraded if the abandoned dog is injured.
It is not the first time that dogs have been abandoned in the park, DeLuca said.
But finding the person who left the dogs may be a challenge. The area around the dog park does not have any surveillance cameras, DeLuca said.
Bucks County SPCA Chief Humane Officer Nikki Thompson confirmed that the animal welfare agency has seen a steady increase in dog abandonment cases.
“Abandonment happens all over,” Thompson added. “Reasons would probably include economic factors, behavior problems and a saturation of animals in rescues and shelters.”
The animal cruelty case is the second one to capture public attention this week.
The Bucks County SPCA earlier this week removed 124 animals, many sick, malnourished, and dying, including goats, steer, and pigs, from a Narrow Way Farm in Newtown Township. The farm owner allegedly abandoned the animals and moved to Central America last month.
Reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at jciavaglia@gannett.com
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