'Soaked with urine': Calgary Humane Society seeks owner of Shih-Tzu found in city’s northeast

The Calgary Humane Society is hoping to identify the owner of a dog they say was found in "horrific" condition.

A Good Samaritan spotted the senior Shih-Tzu on March 20 while travelling along 32nd Avenue N.E. near Ninth Street N.E., west of Deerfoot Trail.

They brought the dog to an emergency veterinary clinic, where staff de-matted her fur and contacted the humane society.

In a Friday news release, the humane society describes the dog as being "soaked with urine and feces" and having nails so overgrown they "curled into the pads of her feet."

The dog was suffering from pyometra (an infected uterus), which the humane society says can be fatal if untreated.

A senior Shih-Tzu found in Calgary on March 20, 2022 while travelling along 32 Avenue N.E. near Nine Street N.E.Officials are hoping to speak with the owner of the dog, or anyone who knows who the owner might be.

“In my many years doing this work, I have never seen matting to this degree of severity," said Calgary Humane Society spokesperson Brad Nichols.

"This condition did not develop overnight. This was many months – possibly years – of reckless, criminal neglect."

Nichols says the dog was "incredibly lucky" to have been found so she could get the care that she needed to survive.

Anyone with information on the dog is asked to call the Calgary Humane Society at 403-205-4455.