MISSION, Kan. — Someone dumped two starving dogs at the front door of Unleashed Pet Rescue and Adoption on Thursday morning.
Both are Boxer breed dogs. The male was tied to a post. The female was on the ground in a trash bag with a bowl of food, too weak to move.
People driving by the shelter noticed the dogs and called Unleashed staff. When staff got there around 8 a.m. they took the dogs to receive emergency veterinary care.
The dogs are in bad shape. Unleashed staff member Rebecca Taylor says they haven't had regular meals or care for months.
Staff thinks the two could be brother and sister. They are senior dogs, around eight years old.
Shortly after being rescued, the male dog couldn't stand on his back legs and was rushed to an Atchison vet.
Taylor says they may never know who owned the dogs or who dumped them off but wants to get the message across that this was not the way to do it.
"We're glad they came to us. That they knew these dogs needed help but at the same time, we're a very full shelter. You can always reach out to us before resorting to this," Taylor said.
Unleashed gets many calls a day from owners wanting to surrender their animals. Taylor said people in that situation should call their local animal control center. There may be a wait, but if the animals are in a critical condition they could get an immediate response.
Emergency veterinary care costs thousands of dollars, so Unleashed is asking the community to donate what they can to make sure the dogs have much better lives going forward.
The dogs are now named Hope and Triumph.
