On January 24th, 2021, Nicole Crossley witnessed a devastating event of animal cruelty on the outskirts of Melbourne, Australia.
While moving her nature strip at around 11 a.m. on Sunday, Nicole saw a four-wheel drive pull over on the corner of Mount Ridley Road and Farleigh Court. Then, a small dog looking like a Jack Russell was dumped out of the car, and the owner sped off.
The poor dog started chasing after the SUV, which seemed to be a mid or late 2000s model Mercedes Benz L Class. Nicole took a photo of the car, but unfortunately, it didn’t provide a clear view of the plates.
What makes this case worse and even more heartbreaking is that the poor pup was running the race of his life in 37-degree heat but couldn’t catch up to the four-wheel drive. Nicole Crossley immediately started a search to try and find the dog. Even though she was only 100 meters away when the dog was abandoned, she could not locate the tiny dog afterward. After searching in the car and on foot for more than an hour to no avail, she turned to social media for help.
Ms. Crossley posted the photo she took on a Facebook page for missing pets and described the event, urging anyone who had any information about the car or the dog to come forward. The public was heartbroken and outraged at the same time by the owner’s cruelty towards the loyal pet.
The small dog probably didn’t understand what was going on and tried to catch up to its departing owner. Unfortunately, Nicole lost sight of the dog as they approached the bend, so we can only guess what happened next. Due to the scorching heat of the day, the prognosis is dire if the owner’s stone-cold heart didn’t melt just enough to reconsider their decision.
As Jack Russells are incredibly loyal, brave, and persistent dogs, it is unlikely that the pooch gave up the chase at any point.
Nicole Crossley was calling for the public’s help to find and rescue the dog and identify the driver of the Mercedes Benz. Her Facebook post got a lot of exposure as the photo was shared over 1600 times, with pleas to help the dog and make the owner take responsibility.
The case of the abandoned dog on the outskirts of Melbourne also helped raise awareness around pet ownership. A dog is not merely a toy that you play with for a while and then discard by the side of the road. They are insanely loyal and loving, and the moment we have taken them in, we are responsible for everything that happens to them moving forward.
We can understand all the emotions that the case has brought up. Abandoning an animal is sad, cruel, irresponsible, and reprehensible. At the very least, the owner could have made efforts to find help or rehome the tiny pup. Throwing it out of the car in a remote area and speeding off, especially during a hot summer day, is like a death sentence for the animal.
RSPCA Victoria was made aware of the reports and started investigating the incident. They explained that it is illegal to abandon a domestic animal or an animal of any species kept in a state of confinement. Their spokesperson further emphasized the many dangers abandoned animals face. Exposure to the elements, road accidents, and inability to access food or water can quickly bring an end to their life.
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