A dog apparently froze to death overnight in freezing temperatures and below-zero wind chills and then was tossed into a dumpster, police and animal care workers said Wednesday.

The dog was discovered in a dumpster outside an east-side apartment building, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Detective Bill Carter told IndyStar. After receiving an anonymous tip to check on the welfare of the dog, Carter arrived at the complex in the 2400 block of 10th Street around 2:30 p.m.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Indianapolis Animal Care Services said the dog was left to freeze in a cold, wooden doghouse outside. The owner then threw the dog away, according to the post.

Photos taken by an IndyStar photographer and IACS shows the dog was emaciated and buried in trash. The breed or age of the dog wasn't immediately known by IndyStar on Wednesday.

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"The small area where the dog spent its last hours had a frozen water bowl and gave you a glimmer of the painful days and nights it suffered before freezing to the ground of its doghouse," the Facebook post said.

It's unclear when exactly the dog was put outside and for how long. Lisa Felton, who identified herself as a neighbor of the owner, told IndyStar she often saw the dog outside.

It's illegal to leave a pet outside in very cold weather in Indianapolis — defined as temperatures that drop below 20 degrees Fahrenheit or during a wind-chill advisory. (It's also illegal to do so when temperatures rise above 90 degrees, during a heat advisory or during a tornado warning.)

Anyone who sees a dog out in the cold should call the Mayor’s Action Center at 317-327-4622. At night, call 317-327-3811. The website to report is maps.indy.gov/requestindy.

Contact IndyStar reporter Crystal Hill at 317-444-6094 or cnhill@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @crysnhill.