Information sought on severely neglected dog abandoned in South Lake Tahoe

Submitted by paula on Thu, 09/03/2020 - 11:20am

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - El Dorado County Animal Services is looking for information from the public about a Cocker Spaniel dog that was abandoned on the side of the road in South Lake Tahoe. The severely neglected dog was found on August 22, 2020, by a Good Samaritan who brought the dog to the El Dorado County Animal Services Shelter in Meyers.

The female Cocker Spaniel is about eight-years-old with tan fur. She wasn’t wearing a collar or identification tag and was found lying on the side of the road on Spruce Avenue by Bijou School in South Lake Tahoe.

Animal Services believes the dog was abandoned due to her medical issues.

“She couldn’t have gotten very far on her own,” says Senior Animal Services Officer Sgt. Joe Avalos. “The dog had extremely matted hair and very long, corkscrewed nails. She also has problems with her eyes, ears, skin and, according to a veterinarian, appears to have been suffering from years of neglect.”

The dog was transported to the El Dorado County Animal Services Shelter in Diamond Springs where she received a full evaluation and needed medical care. Since coming to the shelter, the dog that officers are now calling “Charlotte” has also received a good grooming, needed medication and lots of comforting pats of reassurance.

“She’s resting now and we expect her to be fine, though we believe she will likely need ongoing medical care,” said Animal Services Lt. Doug Petri. “So far, we haven’t found the owner of the dog and Animal Services hopes anyone with information would come forward to help us identify an owner.”

Animal Services says they are continuing to monitor Charlotte’s care while they look for her owner. In the meantime, she’s charming everyone with her positive spirit. Once Charlotte is fully recovered she could be placed up for adoption and hopefully find her forever home with a loving family.

Anyone with any information about this case is asked to contact Animal Services in South Lake Tahoe at (530) 573-7925.