Emaciated, abandoned dog garners worldwide attention

Associated Press

NEWARK, N.J.

When an emaciated pit bull found at the bottom of a trash chute in New Jersey was rushed to a veterinary emergency room last month, doctors there thought he would be dead within the hour.

Instead, the scrappy pup, nicknamed Patrick, has defied the odds and is getting stronger by the day.

“He is a tremendous fighter,” said Dr. Thomas Scavelli, the director and founder of the Garden State Veterinary Specialists, the pet hospital in Tinton Falls where Patrick is being treated.

Hospital staffers, who named the dog for his reddish fur and because he was found the day before St. Patrick’s Day, have been chronicling his progress on their website and a Facebook page that has garnered fans from around the world. He’s received hundreds of emails, donations, gifts and letters from those inspired by his tale of survival.

Kisha Curtis of Newark was charged with two fourth-degree offenses for “tormenting and torturing” an animal by failing to provide food and water, prosecutors said. The charges could carry a maximum jail sentence of 18 months and a fine of up to $10,000. She also faces two abandonment charges punishable by up to six months in jail with a $1,000 fine.

Authorities said Curtis tied the dog to a railing in her Newark apartment building and left the state for more than a week. A janitor later found the emaciated dog in a trash bin.

Curtis, who was released on bail, has pleaded not guilty to the charges.