MSPCA-Angell and Acton police are offering a reward for information after a 12-week-old puppy was found in mid-November with severe injuries and suspected chemical burns on 40 percent of her body.

“All indications are that she was burned and abused intentionally, and perhaps dumped in the woods by the perpetrator,” MSPCA spokesman Rob Halpin said in a statement.

Acton police have opened an animal cruelty investigation into the situation. A combined reward of $1,000 is being offered by police and the MSPCA for information that leads to an animal cruelty conviction.

The puppy, who has been named Ramona since she was rescued, was found by a good Samaritan walking her own dog in the woods on Nov. 15 in Acton, according to the MSPCA. The puppy, who was cowering alongside the trail, was wagging her tail but was unable to walk. Her body was covered in open wounds, according to the agency.


The good Samaritan called police and animal control, and took the injured dog to the MSPCA’s Angell Medical Center in Boston. The puppy had suffered what appeared to be bite wounds to her back in addition to the burns.

The injured 12-week-old puppy has been named Ramona. —MSPCA-Angell

“Not only is she dealing with these horrendous skin wounds, but she also has a broken left front elbow, which started to heal improperly, so we may need to amputate that leg,” Dr. Rebecca Fellman, the MSPCA’s shelter veterinarian, said in a statement.

Ramona is expected to remain at the MSPCA for the next four months as she continues to undergo treatments to heal her skin and her leg, but the majority of her care is focused on keeping her comfortable from day-to-day, according to the nonprofit. Her treatment is estimated to exceed $4,000, and the MSPCA has set up a fundraiser to cover the cost of her surgeries.

“We very much hope we can get to the stage where we place her into an adoptive home because, after all she’s been through, she deserves that more than anything,” Fellman said.