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Police are searching for the person who left a dog found trapped inside a wire crate along a rocky beach in New Jersey, cowering as the tide came in, nearly drowning him.
The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office says dog-lover Jennifer Vaz found the pit bull puppy trapped inside a wire crate while she was out walking her own dog near the water in Highlands, New Jersey Monday morning.
“The tide was coming in and the water had reached the cage,” the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement Monday. “When animal control arrived on the scene the cage was almost covered by the rising tide. If not for the heroic rescue act of the good Samaritan, the dog could have potentially drowned.”
Vaz was walking her dog, Molly, when she kept pulling toward the water. As they got closer, Vaz began to hear whimpering and discovered the young pup struggling to keep his head above water as the tide rushed in, nearly covering the entire cage.
“When I looked down, I saw these eyes looking back at me — these cute little puppy eyes all shivered up and scared,” Vaz told WABC on Tuesday. “I couldn’t believe that this happened in our town and somebody could be this malicious and do that to that dog.”
She quickly rescued the sweet, gentle dog and called the SPCA for help. Vaz named the healthy, happy boy River and hopes to foster and eventually adopt him. For now, he’s being cared for by the SPCA while an investigation is underway.
Police believe the dog and crate were left at the water’s edge between 4 and 6am Monday.
Anyone that recognizes the dog or knows who may have left him to drown is urged to contact the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.
