Skinny Dog1

This emaciated dog, thought to be a female Mastiff, was found at Hawk Island Park in Lansing on Thursday morning. Animal control is offering a reward for information leading to the prosecution of the dog's owners.

(Ingham County Animal Control)

LANSING – Ingham County Animal Control is searching for information that will lead to the owner of a severely emaciated and dehydrated dog found at Hawk Island Park in Lansing this morning.

"A passer-by had discovered the dog lying on a patio area and she was not moving," Jodi LeBombard, an Ingham County Animal Control Officer, said. LeBombard believes the dog, a female Mastiff, was abandoned sometime last night or early this morning.

"I was able to pick up the dog and bring her to a veterinarian," she said. "She seems to be doing pretty well as of now. She's eating very well right now."

The dog is currently being fed and treated by a veterinarian and will likely not have be put down. Anyone with information on the dog's owners is asked to contact Ingham County Animal Control.

The dog weighed just 42 pounds when she was examined. By comparison, an average healthy female Mastiff – one of the largest breeds of dog – weighs between 120 and 170 pounds.

"It's really hard to see [she's a Mastiff] with her condition," she said, adding that she has high hopes that the dog will survive. "We have to do blood work and a series of tests to see how bad the damage was.

"She seems to be responding pretty well at this point and we're hoping for a good result," LeBombard added. She said that the dog will not be put down.

Ingham County Animal Control is asking for help from those who may have information on who the dog's owner is or how she ended up in the park.

"We would hope that the public would come forward with any information," she said. "I think everybody kind of knows who has what dog and we're hoping that someone would recognize the photos and identify the dog so we can hold someone responsible for this."

Animal Control was originally offering a $500 reward for information that leads to the conviction of the person or people responsible for the dog's neglect, but thanks to donations from residents, the reward has increased. There is no word yet on whether the dog will be put up for adoption once all court proceedings have ended.

"If we do find out who's responsible, we'd have to hold on to her as criminal evidence," LeBombard said. "From there it would be up to our director to decide.

"She's a very sweet dog, and I imagine she'll end up in a loving home."

Anyone with information on the dog can contact Animal Control via e-mail at ac_shelter@ingham.org or call their Anonymous Cruelty Tip Line at (517) 676-8376.

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