The dog's previous owner may have wanted to get rid of it, but plenty of strangers are ready to take home Isis, the shepherd-terrier mix that was found beaten and bloody outside her East Garfield Park home this weekend.
Bloody paw prints led authorities to the pooch, who was battered by teens in the neighborhood they said. Her owner, Lashon Parks, decided to get rid of the dog after 10 years.
Parks told police she had to abandon the dog because she moved to a new apartment Saturday, and the landlord does not permit pets. Authorities charged Parks with two misdemeanors: one for cruelty, the other for neglect.
“My heart breaks for this dog, I mean that’s why they call it man’s best friend," said Commissioner of Chicago Animal Care and Control Cherie Travis. "That dog was clearly bonded with the family.”
Instead of providing comfort for her longtime pet, police say Parks let Isis fend for herself outside, in below freezing conditions, without food or water. When police arrived on scene, the kids scattered. Officers then followed the dog’s bloody paw prints to a basement apartment a few houses away, where they say Parks came clean.
The dog is now receiving treatment at Animal Control, where she is expected to survive. The psychological scars may take time.
"We had a trainer approach the dog just to interact with it. And she is just terrorized of people," Travis said.
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Animal Care and Control has fielded numerous phone calls from prospective foster and adoptive homes, which might have to wait.
