Cartersville Police Find "Dirty, Emaciated" Dog Tied To Chain (UPDATED)

Editor’s note: this story has been updated.

---

Cartersville police have issued an arrest warrant for a resident after a dog he allegedly abandoned was found living in deplorable conditions.

An officer with the agency was dispatched to a home on Douglas Street around 10 a.m. Tuesday to assist a Bartow County Animal Control Officer with the incident.

The animal control officer, Chris Everett, said said “he was there to take a dog that had been abandoned at that location.”

The former resident, identified as Tony Michael Loyal, 31, left the home without taking the dog with him, according to an incident report.

The dog, which was found in the backyard, was allegedly attached to a large chain by a padlock. The pooch was “very dirty and emaciated,” and had no food or water, according to the report.

It also had some fluid draining from its eye, and one of its ears appeared to be infected, the police’s report states.

“We gave the dog some water, but the animal was not strong enough to stand when it drank,” the officer said. “You could clearly see the dogs ribs and that its fur was dirty and matted.”

The animal control officer noted he made a visit to the home in February and spoke with Loyal about the dog’s living conditions. Photos shared by Everett that were taken during the February visit showed a “healthy, fully-developed dog,” the report states.

The dog was taken to Bartow County Animal hospital where it had to be euthanized due to its condition.

Police issued warrants for Loyal’s arrest, and he was booked into the Bartow County Jail Aug. 6 on one count of cruelty to animals.

---

Image via Shutterstock