Two starving dogs found in Elmira, one near death

Two emaciated pit bull dogs, one only hours away from dying, were found Wednesday in two locations in Elmira not far from each other, said Craig Spencer, the city's animal control director.

The older male, estimated to be about 3 to 4 years old, was found about 3 p.m. Wednesday along the Lackawanna Rail Trail, he said. A woman had seen it where the trail crosses Sullivan Street, and animal control officers searched the trail from the Water Street bridge to the northern end near Wegmans but didn't see it, he said.

They received a second call from a bicyclist who said he found a dog that wasn't moving, lying off the side of the trail, and they arrived at the scene within seconds, Spencer said. The dog could not stand on his own, he said.

"He wouldn't move. He wouldn't lift his head. He only wagged his tail. He kind of moved his eyes, looking toward us," Spencer said.

Animal Control Officer Amie Spaulding carried the dog to the van, and he was subsequently treated by Chemung Valley Veterinary Clinic and brought to the Elmira Animal Shelter, Spencer said.

"He probably wouldn't have made it through the night if it wasn't for the people that notified us. We're certainly fortunate he didn't get off the trail farther than he did. The dog probably collapsed just because of the condition it was in," Spencer said, noting the dog had no muscle tone or energy. "If it had collapsed farther off the trail, we may never have found the dog."

The other dog that is about 8 months old was found about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Dandy Mini Mart on East Church Street and was not quite as emaciated, Spencer said. "A passerby on her way to work found the dog and gave us a call."

Both dogs are now at the shelter. They are severely underweight and appeared to have been lying in their own feces and urine, as their fur was urine-stained and reeked of urine, he said.

"These dogs hadn't been outdoors much," Spencer said. "They were probably kept in a house most of the time, probably confined to a crate."

Fur was growing between the pads on their paws, and their toenails didn't show signs of activity on hard surfaces like blacktop or even dirt, he said.

The proximity of the two dogs leads animal control to suspect they had the same owner.

Some have speculated the owner of these dogs read about the recent guilty plea to animal cruelty charge in Elmira City Court by the owner of another dog, Diesel, that also was malnourished when seized, and decided to get rid of the dogs before they were discovered, he said.

"We've been following up on leads coming in, but we haven't found anything yet," Spencer said.

Anyone with information about the identity of who owns these dogs is asked to call animal control at (607) 737-5767.

Follow Ray Finger @SGRayFinger.