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Dog found tied to tree outside Scottsdale pet shelter

Dog found tied to tree outside Valley shelter
Dog found tied to tree outside Valley shelter
Posted at 8:14 PM, Jul 08, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-09 01:31:27-04

Those at a Valley pet shelter say they found a dog outside their business, so desperate to escape the heat, he chewed through his leash as someone left him tied to a tree. 

The dog, found outside Desert Tails Shelter in Scottsdale near 68th Street and Thomas Road, is possibly a two or three-year-old Chesapeake Bay Retriever. 

"His paws were definitely a little burnt," said shelter director Adama Pfaff. "He was definitely very thirsty and overheated."

Pfaff told ABC15 on Friday afternoon, with temperatures around 110 degrees, her groomer found the dog outside the shelter wearing half a leash. 

They figured the dog escaped a yard until they found the other half tied to a tree next to the shelter. They believe the dog chewed through the leash to escape the hot rock, sidewalk, and sun. The dog was found seeking relief in a sliver of shade. 

"It just kind of enraged me at first," Pfaff said. "Then I kind of had to calm emotions and deal with the situation."

Pfaff says the dog is doing much better, but no one has come forward to claim him. She is trying to find an owner but believes it's likely that someone intended to surrender the dog but was perhaps too afraid to speak up and left him outside the shelter. 

"In these heat temperatures, I mean minutes (are) a danger," Pfaff said. 

Pfaff says while they took the dog in, that would have also been the case had someone said something, rather than leaving him tied to a tree in the heat. 

"I'm sure it could have come from good intentions, but there's so many options out there nowadays that unfortunately, that's just not the right answer," Pfaff said. 

The shelter is taking care of the dog for the time being. If no one comes forward to claim him, the shelter will put the dog up for adoption around July 16. 

The shelter has named the dog "Chewy" given his effort to free himself from the leash.