Last week, the ASPCA posted a terrible story on their blog – a malnourished pit bull mix was found zipped in a suitcase in the South Bronx, New York by New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers.

According to their post, “The approximately three-year-old male dog was abandoned behind a housing complex. The NYPD transferred the dog to the care of the ASPCA.”

As can be expected, Fraggle’s recovery is slow.

“Fraggle was in very serious condition when he came to us, and ongoing, life-saving medical treatment was necessary to address his extreme malnutrition and several other issues that arose from his compromised health,” the ASPCA said in their last updated post.

Luckily, he is showing signs of improving at the ASPCA Animal Hospital. He has begun to eat on his own and can walk a short distance without assistance.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the NYPD Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-577-TIPS or going online to submit a tip to Crime Stoppers’ website. NYPD Crime Stoppers accepts anonymous tips.

The ASPCA also encourages New York City residents to call 311 to report suspected animal abuse and to call 911 to report crimes in progress. To learn more about the ASPCA’s work to end animal suffering, please visit our Fight Cruelty section.

The post Breaking News: ASPCA Offering $20,000 Rewards For Information Regarding Dog Left To Die In Suitcase appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

Sheree and Tara with Monte.

At Life With Dogs, we always tell people “don’t shop – adopt.” But many who want a pet don’t live and breathe this motto the way we and our fans do. When an Australian couple bought a Cavoodle from Pets Family in Melbourne, they were devastated by the horrific condition he developed. The store offered to replace him, but his moms said that a family member can’t be replaced, and now the shop has to pay up.

“He’s not just a pet, we call him our little man,” Tara Mackey told the Herald Sun. “He is part of the family.”

She and Sheree Bolton bought eight-week-old Monte from Pets Family in January 2014. Within a few short weeks, their precious pup developed breathing trouble and began screaming in pain. Vets operated on him, but were unable to pinpoint the disorder.

The manager of the pet shop offered the women a refund or a replacement dog. But that’s not what they wanted, because they adamantly believe “you get a pet for life.”

Eventually little Monte was diagnosed with portosystemic shunt, a congenital condition where blood bypasses the liver and continues to circulate through the body without being filtered and cleaned.

He survived a life-threatening surgery, but will always have lasting effects from the disorder.

A tribunal determined that a refund was not enough, and ordered Pets Family to pay the women $7884.40 for Monte’s medical bills.

“It’s not like a car where you can go and get another one,” explained Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Senior Member Stella Moraitis. “I can’t ignore the fact that when you sell a dog, you sell a member of the family. If a child gets sick you don’t take it back to the hospital, do you?”

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