Dragged Dog Gets New Owners
A Glassell Park couple adopts a German shepherd mix dog that was dragged behind a truck in Riverside.
This 10-month-old German Shepard mix now has a warm place to call home.
A dog that was dragged behind a pickup truck earlier this month in Riverside now has a new home and owners.
Nancy and Wolfgang Vernon-Matthes of Glassell Park won an essay contest held by Riverside Animal Control officials to decide who would adopt the 10-month-old female German shepherd mix.
“We would guarantee the beautiful…dog a warm, loving home with couches and beds,” the couple wrote.
They also wrote they wanted the dog “to feel secure, stable and happy.”
The couple picked up the white shepherd Thursday at the Western Riverside County/City Animal Shelter.
Staff at the shelter was looking for the right fit in the 37 submitted essays.
They wanted "a good atmosphere for the dog,” said Jose Arballo Jr., Riverside County Department of Public Health spokesman. “Also a capability for proper caring for the dog and a loving environment.”
The shepherd will need further treatment on its paws, all four of which were injured in the incident, according to the shelter.
Arballo said this treatment would consist of “having the dog seen by a vet to make sure the wounds are healing and changing the bandages.”
Veterinarians at the shelter said the wounds would not be long-term, according to Arballo.
NBC LA reported that on the night of Nov. 2, a driver in a red pickup truck was seen dragging the dog by a rope.
The incident occurred near the intersection of Claycroft and Peacock Lanes near the city’s western border. The driver got out of the truck, untied the dog and proceeded to leave the scene, according to animal control officers.
Authorities are still looking for the driver and are asking anyone with information to call 951-358-7356.
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