Londonderry Police charged two women last week in one of the worst animal neglect cases they have seen.
The landlord at 112 Rockingham Road called Police on Monday, Feb. 8 after she entered what she believed to be an abandoned rental unit and found a small, severely neglected Shih Tzu living in deplorable conditions.
Det. Chris Olson said the apartment was in disarray, with a large amount of trash piled up at the front door.
The responding officer said he could not see the dog’s face as it was covered in severely matted fur and the 2- to 3-year-old dog was basically walking on its bones. He found brown water left for the dog, but no food.
According to the police report, the dog was walking into walls and attempting to eat random, small items.
Olson said Jada Demas and Jennifer Moscardini had not yet been evicted from the apartment, but it doesn’t appear they were living there.
“They still had a right to the apartment,” he said.
Demas and Moscardini were charged with three counts of Cruelty to Animals, Dog License Required and Rabies Vaccine Required. They were released on $2,000 Personal Recognizance bail and are scheduled to face their charges in Derry District Court on March 21.
The dog was taken to the Southern New Hampshire Veterinary Referral Hospital to be treated and evaluated.
According to the veterinarian, the dog is suffering from severely matted fur, an ulcerated and infected skin mass on its forehead, blindness, deafness, dermatitis, anemia, a displaced knee cap, fleas, infections in its ear canals and a lame hind leg.
The dog is recovering while under 24-hour care and medication at a local residence, and information will be released if the dog becomes available for adoption.