Puppy Left to Die in Frigid Cold: Police

»Want more Patch news? Subscribe to the daily Bethesda email newsletter.

A seven-week-old pit bull puppy abandoned in below-freezing conditions was rescued moments from death, say Montgomery County Police, and is being cared for by a foster family.

Investigators with the Montgomery County Police Department’s Animal Services Division are trying to find out who left the puppy – now nicknamed Clark Kent – in a parking lot. A caller to Animal Services said the puppy was left in the 4200 block of Tazewell Terrace in Burtonsville on Jan. 3.

Montgomery Community Media reports the brown and white puppy was underweight and having seizures from malnutrition. The lead investigator said the puppy is alive because of the rapid intervention by the doctors at the Montgomery County Animal and Services Adoption Center.

The case is being investigated as a case of criminal neglect because the puppy didn’t receive veterinary care and animal abandonment charges are also possible. Police are asking for the public’s help in providing any information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible.

Katherine Zenzano, community outreach coordinator for the animal center, told the county media site Clark Kent will be available for adoption after the case is closed and he is medically cleared.

Anyone with information about the case is asked call the Montgomery County Police Department’s anonymous tipline at 240.773.TIPS (8477).

»PHOTO of abandoned puppy, courtesy of Montgomery Community Media