Man Called Police for Emaciated Dog at His Back Door

**Updated 6:15 p.m.

A young and possibly abandoned pit bull who was found in a resident’s yard on Oct. 2 may have gotten a second lease on life.

A man in the 3700 block of Rio Vista Road called police at about 8:50 p.m. Oct. 2 to report that an emaciated pit bull was found barking at his back door. Because he didn’t know if the dog was friendly or not, the man opened his garage for the dog and closed it again after the dog went inside.

Officers who responded to the call confirmed in their reports that the male dog appeared extremely thin and possibly ill, like it had been abandoned and had been on its own for a while. 

Wisconsin Humane Society spokesperson Angela Speed told Patch via email Wednesday that the dog is on a seven-day stray hold at the WHS Mount Pleasant campus.

"He does have some significant medical and behavior issues, but will be fully assessed after his stray hold is lifted," she wrote.

The man who called police was determined to not be the owner of the dog, Caledonia police Lt. Gary Larsen said.

"(We are) were sure that the caller was not the owner," he stated.

Police transported the dog to Lakeshore Veterinary Hospital for an evaluation, and reports indicate staff estimated the dog was only about 18 months old. He was not microchipped and was not wearing a collar.

A representative at Lakeshore told Patch Wednesday that they did receive the dog the evening of Oct. 2 but that it was transferred to the Mount Pleasant campus of WHS on Oct. 7.