Lollypop Farm, the Humane Society of Greater Rochester, is turning to the public for help as it searches for the owner of a severely neglected dog.
The English bulldog mix, estimated at around 7 to 9 years old, was found on November 12 in the backyard of a vacant home in the 700 block of Garson Avenue in Rochester. The Humane Society is calling her “Darby.”
"She was dehydrated,” said humane law enforcement officer Reno DiDomenico. “She's supposed to be somewhere around 50 to 60 pounds and she was only like in the mid-twenties, so she was very underweight, very lethargic when we brought her in. She's come around, but she's not out of the woods yet."
The Humane Society hopes that given her unique breed and distinctive underbite, someone will recognize Darby and lead them to her owner. If that person deliberately neglected the dog, they could face a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
"We're hoping that this was a case where someone lost their dog and someone found it and didn't take care of it,” DiDomenico explained. “But we won't know that until we find out who the dog belongs to."
Investigators have ruled out the possibility that the previous residents of the Garson Avenue home where the dog was found moved out and left Darby behind. DiDomenico said someone else may have left the dog there, knowing the house was abandoned.
DiDomenico said they have some new leads hey’re following. If anyone has information, they’re asked to call 911 or the Humane Society hotline, 585-223-6500.