Puppy dies after being left in crate on roadside in West Tennessee

UNION CITY, Tenn. — A heartbreaking story has a local community feeling uneasy.

A Union City resident found a dog crate in a ditch on the corner of East Orchard Road and East Shady Grove.

Inside the crate, a puppy that died while sitting in the locked inside for hours.

“I saw the crate so I stopped, hopped out and I told my husband, ‘Oh my gosh, I think there’s a dog in there,'” said Allyson Davanzo. “Went over and it didn’t get up, so I shook it and said, ‘Hey puppy, puppy,’ and it was already gone.”

The puppy appeared to be a black and brown rottweiler.

Davanzo is a Union City resident and volunteers with Diamonds in the Ruff Rescue. She says she found the puppy while leaving from her home.

It had on a collar and had a blanket and a toy inside the crate.

Diamonds in the Ruff says it is animal cruelty, which could lead to a criminal investigation.

The rescue says it appears it was left with the hopes someone would pick it up. However, where it was found, recent heavy rains could have flowed into the ditch and drowned the puppy.

“I have never seen nothing like this. People come out here and dump dogs a lot, and Sandra with Diamonds in the Ruff Rescue have been wonderful with helping us get the dogs into rescue, so I do transport,” Davanzo said.

Davanzo says police responded and now the case is under investigation.

Leaders with the dog rescue say to never leave a dog in a crate on the side of the road hoping someone will find it. Instead, they say you should always call for help.

Leaders with the rescue say the dog was laid to rest.

Thought the puppy was wearing a collar, no one has come forward to claim the animal.