In Lake County, Indiana, the Indiana State Police were notified about a Facebook video that had gone viral, involving an SUV pulling an open utility trailer, with an unsecured kennel inside which held a large tan and black dog appearing to be in distress.
According to the Indiana State Police Lowell Post, the vehicle had been heading eastbound on I-80/94 from the Illinois state line. It had been a Good Samaritan who spotted the vehicle and the dog’s perceived condition of needing help immediately. The temperature outdoors registered 26 degrees and the windchill made conditions much worse.
The video had also been sent to the Criminal Investigations Division, and the investigators began the search for the dog. The dog was later found at a residence in Gary, Indiana and appeared to have been abandoned near a residence where the owner of the suspect’s vehicle had previously lived.
A neighbor identified the dog and the search for the owner continued until later in the evening.
The Indiana State Police Criminal Investigations Division at the Lowell Post has initiated a criminal investigation into the video that has been shared on social media in regards to a dog that was being transported on a flatbed trailer. One of our detectives and an off-duty K9 unit have located the endangered canine that was being transported as well as having identified a suspect. The canine is being held in a safe undisclosed location and will be receiving treatment. Further information will released on Thursday morning once the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office has had an opportunity to review the information and determine appropriate charges
The dog is currently under care. As for the owner, charges for animal cruelty, a Class A misdemeanor, have been submitted. That person is not currently in custody and has not been formally charged.
The dog’s owner has not been identified at this time, and police want to caution anyone making false accusations, threats, and any other types of harassment in the case of the dog being transported on the trailer.
More updates to follow. Check out how the dog reacted to kindness. 😉
