The video above, provided by the Norfolk SPCA Adoption Center, shows a woman abandoning a puppy outside its facility before it opened.
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Good Samaritans saved a puppy from oncoming traffic after it was abandoned outside the Norfolk SPCA Adoption Center and Veterinary Clinic.
Video obtained by 10 On Your Side shows a Mercedes pulling into the facility’s parking lot before it opened Tuesday morning. A woman gets out of the car and ties a puppy to a pole just off camera. The woman then gets back in the car and drives away.
Minutes later, the dog gets loose and can be seen running into oncoming traffic. Drivers saw the dog, stopped their cars, and got out to rescue her.
“This poor pup had no choice but to wait for someone to help, and we are so grateful that she was found safe,” the Norfolk SPCA said in its Facebook post.
According to the Norfolk SPCA, the dog is safe and at their facility. Because she was abandoned the dog is on a 10-day stray hold.
Employees have named her Grace “since that is what all animals need.”
It is a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia to abandon or dump an animal. Class 1 misdemeanors are punishable by up to 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500. In this case, the Norfolk SPCA says because they have yet to find the person who abandoned the puppy there are no charges pending. Norfolk PD said in a statement Humane Officers with NPD’s Animal Protection Unit are investigating the incident.
In March of this year, a dog died in the same area after it was hit by oncoming traffic. The dog was also abandoned after hours and left outside the facility. The person who abandoned that dog turned themselves in, according to the Norfolk SPCA.
