NORTH RIDGEVILLE — A malnourished 1½-year-old Rottweiler — which police found after it was abandoned — appears to be heading back home to the dog’s original breeder.

The dog was found Dec. 17 by a North Ridgeville police officer who responded to a call about an abandoned dog. The Rottweiler was tied to a tree in the front yard of the home in the 39000 block of Sugar Ridge Road, police said, with a chain described as a heavy-link tow chain, according to a police report.

CHUCK HUMEL / CHRONICLE

Lorain County Dog Warden Jack Szlempa gets a big lick from the Rottweiler found abandoned in North Ridgeville last month.

Nearby was a pen in which seven dead chickens were found, along with two that were alive.

Police said the home’s occupants moved out, leaving the animals behind.

Officers seized the animals under the belief that they were being mistreated. The Rottweiler was taken to the Lorain County Dog Kennel. The Friendship Animal Protective League took control of the chickens.

County Dog Warden Jack Szlempa had the dog examined by a local veterinarian the following day. The dog weighed just 81 pounds — notably underweight for a German block head Rottweiler, he said. The dog’s right front leg was swollen between the elbow and wrist, likely the result of a prior injury, according to the veterinarian’s report.

Szlempa said he is unsure what kind of life the dog had, but it certainly appears underfed. In addition, the way it was restrained was indicative of abuse.

“It was tied with a chain that weighed probably three times its own weight,” he said. “That was cruel enough right there.”

Julie A. Dalton, 41, of North Ridgeville, has been cited by police for animal cruelty, failure to properly register a dog, failure to obtain a rabies inoculation and failing to maintain sanitary conditions of pens. She has forfeited ownership of the dog to the county, which means it is now available for adoption.

But after a series of phone calls made since the dog was found, Szlempa happily said the dog won’t be without a home for long.

Soon after the Rottweiler arrived, Szlempa received a call from Mindy Watson, 35, of Ashland, a dog breeder who gave the Rottweiler she named Lily to a family thinking it would have a good home. Lily was born in a litter of five and given away at 6 months old.
Watson said she never thought anything bad was going to happen to the dog.

“I know that if you take a dog to a pound, it only has a certain amount (of time) before it’s put down and I didn’t want to see that happen,” Watson said. “That’s why I didn’t want money. I just wanted the dogs to go to a good home.”

Watson said she and her husband could not keep the dog as they were moving to a rental home that did not allow pets. Now, they live in their own home.

Watson said her son’s father — who is related to Dalton — called her just before Christmas to let her know Lily was at the kennel.

That prompted Watson to call Szlempa, offering to take the dog back.

“It just hurts my heart because it’s like someone hurt one of my kids,” she said. “I couldn’t care for her and needed someone else to. If a person can hurt a dog, they could hurt anyone.”

Today, Szlempa said Watson will be given the opportunity to adopt the dog back.

“She’s coming back where she belongs,” Watson said.

Contact Lisa Roberson at 329-7121 or lroberson@chroniclet.com.

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