Dog Abandoned At Secaucus PetSmart

SECAUCUS, NJ — Someone abandoned this dog at the Secaucus PetSmart last Saturday, Jan. 6, according to Chris Conte, the manager at the Secaucus Animal Shelter.

While details are still hazy, someone either took the dog inside the PetSmart and abandoned it inside, or left the dog outside the store in the parking lot sometime around 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 6. PetSmart employees found the little white dog running loose inside the store, and called Secaucus Animal Control, who came and picked the animal up that night. People reported seeing the car that dropped him off.

To make matters worse, it was extremely cold on Jan. 6, hovering around 10 degrees at night.

"How someone could just drop a dog, nonetheless in the bitter cold, is beyond me," said Conte. "What's even more surprising is the dog is in perfect health. We gave him a thorough check-up and there is nothing wrong with him at all."

Unfortunately, people abandoning pets at local pet stores is not a rare event, and town animal control has been called to the PetSmart before. Someone once even abandoned a dog in front of the nearby Panera, she said. People will often get rid of a pet that is sick, and they can no longer afford to care for.

"They try to drop them in busy places, where there are lots of people around so the animal will be picked up," she said.

If you cannot take care of your pet, it is free for Secaucus residents with proof of residency to drop off a pet at the town shelter on Meadowlands Parkway. If you are not a town resident, there is a charge to deposit the animal. The town animal shelter has had people come in from Manhattan to drop off unwanted pets, she said.

The shelter had this dog fixed and fortunately, he was adopted, just not to a Secaucus resident, she said. The PetSmart referred Patch to their corporate media hotline, and the call was not immediately returned.

Photo from the Secaucus Animal Shelter.