A 19-year-old Chatham woman is set to appear in court Wednesday after allegedly failing to provide proper care for a nine-week-old puppy that broke its leg.
OSPCA officials say the woman told one of their officers the puppy, believed to be a Shepherd/Great Pyrenees cross, suffered the injury when it jumped from a moving car earlier this summer.
The puppy's owner told the officer she had taken it to a veterinarian after the incident, but didn't follow through with the recommended treatment. At that point, she was ordered to immediately have the dog re-examined and to follow the treatment recommendations.
After speaking with the veterinarian, the accused indicated she couldn't afford the treatment, so the dog was seized by the OSPCA. The puppy was then provided with pain medication and eventually had its leg amputated at the recommendation of a veterinarian.
OSPCA officials say after the surgery, they took control of the animal, and were able to adopt it into a new home.
The woman who originally owned the puppy is charged with causing distress to an animal and failing to provide adequate and appropriate medical attention.