BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — A badly abused dog covered in fleas, starving and missing large patches of fur was found tied up inside an abandoned Bed-Stuy building earlier this week, according to a local shelter.
The Shih Tzu — who shelter workers dubbed Joseph, after the saint — was discovered at an empty home on Greene Avenue between Malcolm X Boulevard and Patchen Avenue and brought to the Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition on Tuesday afternoon, said BARC vice president Vinny Spinola.
Covered in matted hair and fleas, the dog looked like it had been badly abused, Spinola said. The animal was missing a lot of fur and was being evaluated Wednesday for a possible broken jaw and injury to its eye.
"It could have been benign neglect, but I don’t think so,” Spinola said. “He was starving and totally emaciated.”
Circumstances surrounding the dog’s abuse were unclear, he added. Workers at the no-kill Williamsburg shelter estimated the Shih Tzu is around 10 years old.
“With time he will clean up and look as sweet as he really is,” read a post on BARC’s Facebook page.
To help with Joseph’s care and recovery, call BARC at 718-486-7489 or donate at the BARC website here.