A dog once left for dead in the basement of a Buffalo home has a new “leash” on life. After weeks of recovery, Dori went home on Monday with Sally Schrett of Tonawanda.
On December 1, an investigator with the SPCA serving Erie County was called to Milford Avenue in Buffalo after police discovered what they thought was a dead dog in the basement.
"I didn't know what I was looking at," said Officer Jessica Coughlin. "I thought it was simply a ball of fur. There was no movement. I couldn't tell if it was an animal, and if so, what kind of animal it was. I couldn't tell one end from the other, couldn't tell if whatever the animal was alive or dead."
Dori was so severely matted she could not move, but was still breathing. She was rushed to the SPCA’s Tonawanda shelter where veterinarians began working to remove the matted hair. It took around two and a half hours:
When Dori was first brought in she weighed 11 pounds. After the hair was removed, she weighed just seven.
While removing the hair, veterinarians found twine embedded in her left paw. It had worked through the soft tissue and was crushing her toes, breaking one of them. Dori also had ear infections and damaged eyes.
Behavior specialist Barbara Fraizer worked closely with Dori.
"She has improved dramatically. I could never have handled her like this the first couple of weeks," she said.
Ronald and Shelly Brier are both charged with animal cruelty. They surrendered Dori to the SPCA.
The Briers appeared in court December 18 and are due to return January 12.
