Shameless: Search for Hudson Valley Dog Owners After ‘Cowardly Act’

Authorities are searching for the owners of a dog found abandoned on the side of the road in the Hudson Valley. Do you have any information that can help bring justice to Barney?

While leaving an animal stranded and alone is enough to upset anyone with a conscience, further investigation uncovered what the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA (CGHS/SPCA) is calling "one of the most shameful, cowardly acts of cruelty one can do to an animal".

Dog with Cancer Abandoned in Columbia County, NY

Details about the Cane Corso that the CGHS/SPCA nicknamed Barney are hard to stomach. While there will be no happy ending to this story, authorities are hoping for at least some closure and justice for a dog that clearly deserved much better. From the CGHS/SPCA:

Barney was spotted by a passerby who stopped to help him. Their first thought was that Barney was hit by a car because he couldn’t place weight on one of his front legs. After numerous x-rays it was discovered that Barney was suffering from an advanced stage of osteosarcoma (bone cancer)

Read More: Where Does New York Fall on the List of Problem Dog Breeders?

Cane Corso Nicknamed "Barney" Abandoned in Craryville, NY

They continued by sharing a theory that the previous owners, either unable or unwilling to help the dog that was suffering from "one of the most painful [medical] conditions to have", decided instead to leave him on the side of the road.

The Search for Barney's Owners

CGHS/SPCA President Ron Perez held nothing back in his diagnosis, proclaiming that, "to abandon an animal on the side of the road – in Barney’s case, knowing the painful condition that he was suffering from – is unconscionable and shows depraved indifference to this dog".

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As noted, there is no happy ending. After "careful consideration and consultation", the decision was made that the most humane course of action was for Barney to be euthanized. What may be done in his honor, however, is to send a clear message about how the Hudson Valley feels about such animal mistreatment. The CGHS/SPCA asks, "anyone with information pertaining to Barney, please contact the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office at (518) 828-0601.