SAN ANTONIO – Animal Care Services has one simple message for San Antonio residents who are pet owners: Please provide shelter and shade for your outdoor pets.
In a Facebook post shared Monday, ACS shared four photos of a 6-month-old German shepherd puppy suffering from thermal burns caused by lack of protection from the sun.
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“It is obviously not something that happens immediately, it is something that happens from a sustained amount of time outdoors without protection,” ACS spokeswoman Lisa Norwood told KSAT.com.
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Norwood said Molly was in a “great deal of pain” after receiving the thermal burns from the top of her neck all the way down to the tip of her tail.
Despite her serious injury, Norwood said Molly’s behavior has been nothing short of happy, with her wagging her tail throughout her treatment process.
“This is a real sweet, sweet pup. We’ve been treating her since she came in, and she’s been really good about the entire thing,” Norwood said.
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The treatment for Molly has been scrubbing the area, receiving special baths, medication and much more.
Norwood told KSAT.com that Molly was brought in late May and that her case remains an open investigation. She said no one has yet to be criminally charged.
“You have to provide shelter for your pet, you have to provide shade for your outdoor pet, you have to provide protection for your outdoor pet. If you do not, you are potentially violating city of San Antonio law,” Norwood said.
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Norwood said because Molly’s burns took some time to occur, it is, unfortunately, also going to take some time to heal.
“She may very well not grow back hair on her backside because of the depths and severity of the burns,” Norwood told KSAT.com.
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Norwood said Molly’s case is sadly not the first time they have seen this happen and in fact happens quite a bit to pets that are not protected from the sun.
“We do see this quite a bit, and it all stems from irresponsibility or perhaps not caring that if it’s hot for you, it’s hot for them,” Norwood said.
“If your pet's going to be outdoors in the heat, the very least that you can do is provide them with shelter and shade from the elements,” she said.
Norwood said the Animal Defense League has since taken in Molly, continuing her treatment and helping her find a forever home.
If you can’t adopt Molly, Norwood said anyone can help pets such as Molly by aiding ACS and its partners, especially during the summertime.
Anyone who is interested in adopting Molly can contact Animal Defense League at (210) 655-1481 or visit it at 11300 Nacogdoches Road.