PHOENIX — Two German Shepherds abandoned near a busy traffic intersection in Phoenix are safe due to the actions of a good Samaritan.
Sarah Bremmer, the woman who discovered the abandoned pups, says she was driving in the area 49th Avenue and Indian School Road on Wednesday morning when she found two German Shepherds sitting at the corner "in a grassy area looking straight abandoned."
Bremmer, along with a man in the area, approached the dogs and were able to find a collar on Ryker, the dog that appeared injured and unable to walk due to ripped padding on his paws. It initially appeared Ryker had been hit by a car, but Jose Santiago, the Public Information Officer for Maricopa County Animal Care and Control (MCACC) said, "nothing in the notes [about Ryker] indicates it was hit by a car."
Bremmer was able to find a MCACC tag with a phone number and ID on Ryker's collar, then contacted the dog's previous owner. She says the former owners said they had given Ryker up five years ago, and another couple adopted him "with papers and everything."
"They said they gave him away a few years ago but they were heartbroken to know that the couple they gave him to abandoned him and his new brother," Bremmer wrote.
Bremmer contacted MCACC, and the two dogs were taken to the shelter's West Valley Animal Care Center, where they will both go up for adoption on May 27 at 11 a.m.
According to Santiago, Ryker appears to have a skin disorder, and is currently being treated for a severe infestation of fleas and ticks.
"We have a plea out for a rescue to get him to get him better," Santiago said in an email to ABC15.
The second dog, whose name is unknown, is in "perfect" shape, with no outward health issues, Santiago said.
Though the pair will go up for adoption on the same day, MCACC cannot guarantee they will be adopted as a pair.
"It’s hard for a lot of people to take in two dogs of that size together, especially when one dog is not doing well health-wise," Santiago said. "We read notes to people and let them know they came in with another dog and see if they want to consider it…but we cannot force it on anyone."
If you are interested in adopting Ryker and his companion, reach out to Maricopa County Animal Care and Control's West Valley Animal Care Center at (602) 506-7387. Ask for information about animal ID number A3582383 for Ryker and ID number A4261502 for his companion.
