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Arlington authorities asking the public for information about a dog put to sleep after found in the cold

Authorities in Arlington, Virginia, want the public’s help in finding the owner of an emaciated dog that was humanely put to sleep after being found outside in the cold this week.

The Animal Welfare League of Arlington said the dog was dropped off near the Walter Reed Community Center. A resident near the area on Walter Reed Drive found the dog around 8 p.m. on Wednesday and called the AWLA.

An officer responded to the location and found the dog was in extremely critical condition. He was transported to an emergency veterinary clinic.

“He was extremely underweight, emaciated and covered in sores,” said Spencer Murray, AWLA’s sergeant of Animal Control.

He said the dog wasn’t able to walk, but it was trying to crawl. Unfortunately, it was suffering from hypothermia and other injuries, and the decision was made to euthanize the animal.

The emergency team named the dog “Walter,” based on where he was found. He didn’t have any identifying tags, but was wearing a metal chain collar.

Now, Arlington County police are trying to find out where the dog came from and who may have dropped him off.

“We’re asking the public to check any sort of cameras that they may have on their house or any dash cameras on their car if they were driving by in that area,” Murray said.

Anyone with information is asked to call AWLA’s Animal Control team at 703-931-9241 or email them at animalcontrol@awla.org.

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