PETERSBURG, Va. (WTVR)–A puppy in Petersburg has become a hot topic, after word spread that it’s living in the back of a pickup truck.
Residents and workers in Old Towne Petersburg said the golden retriever puppy has been in the back of this truck since December, in a crate covered with cardboard.
“It was like he was hiding the dog, so that other people wouldn’t see,” Frannie Rawlings said.
Petersburg police and animal control have received multiple calls from concerned citizens about the puppy’s situation.
“Each time we’ve been told about this, we’ve received complaints, we’ve sent out Animal Control down,” Major Bill Rohde, Petersburg Police, said.
“There are no laws being broken, the dog is properly cared for, the dog is in good health,” Rohde said.
That is little consolation to some who took to Facebook to raise awareness about the dog’s situation.
The Facebook posts so rampant Thursday night that rescue groups arrived to try and get the puppy.
That’s when police asked the puppy’s owner to take the golden retriever in for the evening.
Concerned neighbors said common sense was an issue here, and that “somebody needs to say, that’s not a life for a dog.”
“A four- month old puppy does not need to be growing up and spending 90 percent of his day inside a crate, inside a pick-up truck, covered in cardboard,” Gwen Perdue said.
Off camera the puppy’s owner said he is co-operating with the police, and has done nothing wrong.
There have been conflicting reports of whether or not there is another dog in the home that didn’t like the puppy. The owner told CBS 6 there is no other dog and he said that this dog is just an outdoor dog.
While some might not agree with how he is keeping the dog, as police said, no laws have been violated.
But after all the heightened attention, on Friday he told us that he plans to take the puppy to a place in North Carolina, where he will stay.
