Puppy in poor health tossed out in front of Detroit Dog Rescue

DETROIT (WJBK) - There is a right way and a wrong way to drop off a dog at a rescue shelter.

On Friday afternoon it was caught on camera the wrong way and now the Detroit Dog Rescue needs help tracking the owner down.

Two men are on video pulling up in a burnt orange SUV. They can be seen getting out and walking around before they tossed out a mixed breed puppy from their vehicle and took off.

This happened right outside the DDR at the corner of Harper and Somerset on the city's east side. Soon after an employee for the DDR walked up and took him in for shelter.

The employees have given this pup the name Mickey. He may be out of harm’s way, but it will take some time to get him back to good health.

"So normally on a dog, you're normally only supposed to see that last rib (on the side) and that's a healthy dog," said Kristina Rinaldi. "Here are all of his ribs protruding. He does have a little bit of a bite on the side and he has an abscess right here. So he is in kind of a poor health condition."

Fortunately, Mickey was only wandering around for a few minutes before an employee with the Detroit Dog Rescue spotted him. What happened there is considered a crime.

"This is a misdemeanor, according to Michigan legislators, it is a misdemeanor with 93 days in jail," said Kristina Rinaldi, Detroit Dog Rescue. "We have them on camera, we will find them and we're going to catch who did this."

This kind of act is also a safety concern for the community.

"When you have these animals that are roaming the neighborhood they are in danger and again it's a public safety hazard," Rinaldi said.

The DDR is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the capture of these two guys. In the meantime, the employees are working to find Mickey a new home.

"He's a great dog. He's really scared right now, but he's going to make a great family pet," Rinaldi said. "And thankfully this is all on camera. We have FOX 2 News and we will find out who did this."