Deer-ly Departed: Someone gunned down a deer in the 6200 block of Oregon Avenue NW on Dec. 15. Responding to a call about the dead animal, Washington Humane Society Humane Law Enforcement (HLE) officers arrived to find an adult female deer with apparent gunshot wounds to the chest. The carcass has been seized as evidence in an animal cruelty case.

Fatten Up: An HLE officer was dispatched to the 100 block of 53rd Street SE on Dec. 11 in response to a report of a white pit bull shivering in the backyard, so scrawny its ribs were showing. While checking on the pit, the officer ran into its owner. After bringing the dog inside, the owner explained the pet’s bony appearance was due to the fact she had recently given birth to a litter of 11 pups. The officer suggested giving the dog “puppy food” for the extra calories and added that if the new mother didn’t take on sufficient weight soon, she’d need to go to the vet. The Humane Society plans to monitor the situation.

Here Kitty, Gross Kitty: An HLE officer arrived at a residence in the 1200 block of 16th Street NE on Dec. 12 to find a cat having trouble breathing; the domestic short-haired orange tabby had “mucous discharge coming from his nose and mouth” and was also sneezing. The  officer suggested the cat could have an upper respiratory infection and issued an official notification for the owner to take the cat to a licensed vet. The animal doctor diagnosed the cat with the suspected upper respiratory infection and prescribed antibiotics.

Ask First: A concerned citizen reported on Dec. 10 that a 4-month-old brown pit bull was being held in a wire cage in the 1600 block of Chesapeake Street SE. A woman at the household told an HLE officer that her 15-year-old son had brought the puppy home a few days earlier–but was told he couldn’t keep it. The teen was asked to find a new home for the pit, but had put it in the cage instead. When the boy came home from school, the HLE officer explained the Humane Society’s adoption program and the kid surrendered the pup.

Source: Washington Humane Society