Authorities are searching for whoever abandoned two French bulldogs in frigid temperatures at a New Jersey park, with one of the dogs found with glass shards in her stomach.
The two young pups, since named Diamond and Sapphire, were discovered huddled together earlier in January in the woods of Shark River Park in Wall Township during one of the coldest stretches the state has seen in years.
It wasn’t clear how long the dogs had been left outside, said staff at the Monmouth County SPCA. Both Frenchies, believed to be about a year old, were malnourished when they were found, and an MRI revealed a belly full of glass shards for Diamond.
“Somebody had obviously dumped them there, fortunately park rangers found them,” said Barbara Lovell, associate executive director of the Monmouth County SPCA. “It was really, really cold that week. As you can see, they have very little fur, so it was in the nick of time.”
The SPCA suspects the dogs may have been part of a backyard breeding operation and are urging anyone with information to come forward.
“As usual, our staff is heartbroken, they’re angry. But we also need to be professional,” Lovell said. “Right now, we would love anyone who hangs out in Shark River Park to help us perhaps find out where they came from. Because I think if there are two that are this cute, there might be more — and this might be a business we need to get involved with to make sure the animals are staying healthy and safe.”
The animal shelter took in both dogs and nursed them back to health. Sapphire has already been adopted, and staff expected Diamond to be available for adoption now that she’s been medically cleared.
“I mean obviously she loves to be loved,” said Dr. Jocelynn Eckroth, a veterinarian with the SPCA who helped treat Diamond. Dr. Eckroth said Diamond’s prognosis looked “amazing,” and they had no concerns for her health.
“It makes me feel wonderful…When we do things like this, it makes me feel so amazing that we saved a life,” she said.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC New York. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC New York journalist edited the article for publication.