SEGUIN, Texas – Seguin Animal Services officials released disturbing video Thursday that shows two people abandoning a 45-pound Staffordshire terrier mix and throwing it over a six-foot fence.
In the video, the dog can be seen trying to resist being thrown over the fence before dropping to the ground at the city's animal shelter late Wednesday night. Then, the two culprits disappear.
The canine, now called Titus, wasn't injured and seems to be in good health, but he’s still suffering.
“It’s frightened right now. It's very stressed out for obvious reasons, so we're in the middle of assessing its behavior and its health,” said Shelley Lutz, shelter manager.
Lutz said the hope is that Titus, who is not microchipped, is well and sound enough to be adopted. She’s encouraging others who wish to surrender pets to do so properly, by going to the shelter and having a conversation about the animal’s history.
“There are fees involved,” Lutz said. “We understand sometimes people can't pay those fees, so it's just going to depend on the situation, what the need is and why the need is to surrender that dog.”
She said not having money shouldn't be an excuse to abandon a pet.
“We have rescues that work with us. If it's about a money issue, you're having a hard time feeding your animal, we have a food program that we can sign you up on and help you,” Lutz said.
Investigators in Seguin are looking for the people in the video to speak with them and hopefully get a better understanding of the dog’s behavioral and medical history. Because the dog was not injured, it's not clear if they will face any abandonment charges.