GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. — Guilford County Animal Services is looking for the person who dropped a dog off at the resource center. They said someone left the animal outside the building on a bitter-cold night and he froze to death.
"I think this is a lack of caring," GCAS Director Jorge Ortega said. "There’s no excuse for abandoning a dog in front of a building that is clearly closed, and there’s no one in the building."
They said the incident happened on January 21 around 7:30 p.m. WFMY News 2 meteorologists looked at the data, it was already freezing at the time, and temperatures went down to 11 degrees overnight.
GCAS shared surveillance video showing someone leaving the dog in a bin outside the building the person then reaches into a nearby donation bin.
"He grabbed the blanket and then just threw it into the container with the intention of just keeping the dog warm," described Ortega.
Animal services said the dog, a male bully-breed weighing about 35 pounds, was alive when it was dropped off and found dead the next morning.
Ortega said they are hoping to identify the person and get some answers.
"There’s a lot of unknowns. What we know is this poor animal suffered - it literally froze to death. Knowing how cold the temperatures were, it did not have the protection, or the current needed overnight," Ortega said. "So, we really just would like to identify this individual to have a conversation with them."
The sheriff's office is investigating the matter but couldn't say if the person would be charged. GCSO said deputies want to identify the individual and speak with them to learn more.
The Animal Services website says anyone needing assistance outside of normal hours should call the Guilford Metro non-emergency number at 336-373-2222.
In the meantime, the dog has been sent to the state lab for a necropsy.
RELATED: Dog winter safety: VERIFY Fact Sheet