Tragically, the dog passed away while the rescuers were doing their best to save its life.
In Ohio, the police found Lou, the two-year-old Doberman pinscher, in an incredibly critical state, with severe open wounds.
The officers responded to a request for a welfare check after no one in the house was reachable in April 2019. When they saw the puppy, it was clear the owner, David Neanover, 36, had left the innocent creature deprived of food and water.
Lou was immediately taken to the Animal Friends Humane Society Shelter, as Mail Online reports. There, they found out the pupper had ulcers on his tongue, part of which was missing. This made eating for the two-year-old dog almost impossible.
The puppy was so starved, its ribcage appeared through its skin. It was at least 20 pounds underweight, as it was ‘deprived food for quite some time’, as the shelter shares. Not only Lou was starving and suffering from severe wounds, but he also lived on a short chain, limiting his movements.
Horrific images of the unfortunate pet show the unthinkable cruelty a man can be capable of.
X-rays reveal little Lou had rocks in his digestive system.
At the time, the Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones said:
“No normal human being could look at this dog and think this is acceptable. The pictures are hard to view. It’s much worse in person. Animal Friends will do everything they can to save this poor animal but the current condition is very bad. I am thankful that this was reported. I just hope he can be saved and adopted to someone who cares.”
Sadly, after only five days of intensive treatment, the dog died at the shelter.
As people found out about Lou’s tragic fate, protests took place for David Neanover to be punished. Last year he was charged with felony animal cruelty in favor of first-degree misdemeanors. One of the people involved in the protests had a sign saying: “Send him to jail and withhold his food.”
The cruel owner’s lawyer argued that the cause of the puppy’s death was not the starvation, but a medical condition.
What’s more, people across the U.S. wrote heartfelt letters, demanding justice for Lou. As Cincinnati Enquirer reports, one of them wrote:
“I am asking for the full extent of the law. To let a sweet, innocent soul live in filth, no food or water, no love or kind treatment…(Neanover) even named him Lucifer when in actuality, this person should be called that.”
Two days before his trial was due to begin in March, Neanover pleaded no contest and was convicted shortly after. On Thursday, the inhumane owner was sentenced to 180 days in jail for one of the cruelty counts. As for the other brutal deeds, he received 90 days in jail to be served concurrently.
