Local shelter working to help dog found abandoned, tied to tree in McCandless park

MCCANDLESS, Pa. — Channel 11 is learning more about the dog found tied up and left in a McCandless park during last week’s storms.

>> Dog found tied to tree in McCandless

The 10-year-old dog, Josie, is now being cared for by a local shelter and has serious medical issues.

Josie was discovered near the entrance of Potter Park along Harmony Drive.

“Neighbors believe in hindsight now that the dog has been roped to that tree overnight because they had heard barking,” said McCandless Police Chief Ryan Hawk.

Josie has no chip or tags. Police are looking for the person responsible for leaving her tied up.

Hawk said criminal charges are possible.

“It’s unfortunate, disappointing that someone would tie their pet up and leave it,” said Hawk. “We’d like to speak with this owner, find out the circumstances on why they had no alternative but to tie a dog to a tree rather seek an animal shelter or seek assistance.”

Police turned the dog over to the West Deer Township dog shelter.

Channel 11 saw her being well taken care of and getting a lot of treats. A volunteer said Josie is just a sweetheart.

“She’s just a lovely animal but she does need a lot of health work which will cost us a lot of money, and she’s worth every penny, to be truthfully honest,” said volunteer Barb Pasquale.

Josie has serious medical issues. She has a thyroid tumor and a massive tumor on the side of her body. Both need surgically removed and will cost thousands of dollars.

The shelter said help is asking the community for donations to help save Josie’s life.

“And every little bit helps. I don’t care whether people donate a dollar or a thousand dollars, it all adds up,” said Barb Pasquale. “She is such a great dog. I don’t know how you can give up on something like this. I just don’t.”

If you would like to help Josie, you can drop off or mail donations to the West Deer Township dog shelter located at 109 East Union Road, Cheswick, PA 15024, or send money to the shelter’s Venmo account @westdeerdogshelter.

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