ELKHORN — On the outside, she's shameful, gloomy and worn-down.
But on the inside, she's loveable, bright and spunky.
Looks aren't everything; ask Lindsey.
The 8-year-old Brittany spaniel-cocker spaniel mix was neglected for several years, resulting in a number of medical problems that until recently threatened her quality of life.
Lindsey arrived at the Lakeland Animal Shelter on March 5 and since has become the poster dog for what can happen when people neglect their pets.
"With her collection of issues, she's a particularly bad case. She's not the worst, but … she's the worst owned animal we've seen," said Kristen Perry, shelter director.
A woman left a carrier on the doorstep of the shelter. The shelter staff tried to get some information about the dog. The woman said very little.
"It needs to be put down," the woman said. "You deal with it."
The shelter staff checked local veterinary records for any information they could find about the dog. They learned the woman had taken the dog to a veterinarian about five years ago for mild itching, patchy hair loss and fleas. The dog was treated and further testing was recommended, but the woman never followed up.
"She wasn't always this way," Perry said. "Given the condition she was in when she was brought here, you'd almost think the woman had to do everything wrong for the last several years. But it's just a lack of follow-up as the issues compounded."
The shelter staff struggled with how to handle such a terrible case.
"The ultimate question was, could she, in spite of all these things, have a good quality of life," Perry said.
If the answer was no, Lindsey would be put down.
But the shelter staff saw something in the little dog—a spark, a light in her eyes, a fighting spirit—that quickly changed their minds.
"Her tail was wagging, despite the one person she was supposed to depend on doing everything but (care for her) for five years," Perry said. "She hadn't given up. Why should we?"
Lindsey was diagnosed with a laundry list of medical problems: alopecia over three-quarters of her body; a yeast infection of the skin and ears, which caused her skin to swell, thicken and fold; and cherry eye.
"Things have gotten so far because they weren't addressed," said Dr. Jeff Korosec of the Elkhorn Veterinary Clinic.
Lindsey already is responding well to treatment, which includes a high-quality diet, antibiotics and a medicated bath. Some of her hair is starting to grow back, she's itching less and she can almost close her eyes. But she's got a long way to go.
Moved by the little dog's interminable spirit, Korosec is donating his services, including what could amount to more than $1,000 in surgery, to prepare Lindsey for adoption to a warm, loving, caring home.
Cindy Wrobel, humane officer in Walworth County, said animal cruelty charges against the woman who surrendered Lindsey have been referred to the district attorney's office.
"There was nobody who could look at all of this and think it was an accident," she said. "We absolutely had to send it up. We have to let them make the decision, but we have to do our job."
Zeke Wiedenfeld, assistant district attorney in Walworth County, has not made a decision in this case.
He said he receives a wide range of complaints, but if a referral comes across his desk, it's certainly not to be overlooked.
"It has to be pretty severe to get to me," he said.
Wiedenfeld said he weighs each animal cruelty case individually, and among the things he looks for first is intent.
"One of the big things I consider is … whether the person knew the animal would be harmed," he said.
Wiedenfeld declined to comment further on the case involving Lindsey.
Regardless of whether or not animal cruelty charges are filed against the dog's former owner, the shelter staff are certain Lindsey's story will have a happy ending.
"I have complete confidence (that she'll be adopted)," Perry said. "It might take a little longer than the average adoption, but I think it's just a matter of being able to find that right person, who can look past the outside."
