LEONI TOWNSHIP, MI – Jackson County Animal Control is investigating a case of alleged animal abandonment resulting in the death of a puppy.

Officers from the Jackson Police Department discovered two young dogs abandoned on the side of Nash Drive in Leoni Township the night of Thursday, April 3. The puppies were brought to the Jackson County Animal Shelter before being transferred to the Emergency Veterinary Hospital in Ann Arbor.

The dogs, both eight-month-old Husky mixes, had been locked in a crate that was left in a ditch along the road, said Animal Shelter Director Lydia Sattler. They were both found to be emaciated and suffering from the Canine parvovirus – a contagious virus that can lead to dehydration and death in dogs and wolves.

One of the dogs died at the hospital that same night, said Jacob Tidwell, the Jackson County Animal Control officer in charge of the case.

The second puppy – named Crash Bandicoot by a veterinarian – is in recovery, and was released from the Emergency Veterinary Hospital on Monday. Crash is currently being held in an isolation room at the animal shelter, Sattler said.

“Animals getting sick is normal and natural, but when you refuse to provide medical care or go somewhere to ask for assistance, that’s when it becomes against the law,” Sattler said.

Animal Control received an anonymous tip Monday regarding a nearby residence on Nash Drive where the two dogs might have come from. Officers investigated the residence late Tuesday afternoon, and seized three dogs to be taken back to the shelter for DNA testing, Tidwell said.

The dogs have since been released back to their owners while testing is underway to determine if they are related to the abandoned puppies. Tidwell said the owners at the residence have been fully cooperative with the investigation.

Animal Control will also be speaking to other potential witnesses in the area and reviewing video footage from nearby buildings during their investigation, Tidwell said.