'Brave little guy': Emaciated dog dumped near Philadelphia creek needs a new home
The officer that found the pup has named him "Valiant."
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Loose, emaciated and injured. A dog is now on the mend after a difficult rescue last night in Philadelphia's Kensington section.
Animal Protection Officers at ACCT Philly got a call Sunday night about a dog dumped on the Kensington Avenue Bridge.
The emaciated pup was wading through the muck in Frankford Creek when a team managed to rescue him and bring him to safety.
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"We found a way down to calmly and slowly approach him and we kind of yanked him out of there before he got the chance to run off again," said Tony Ikonen, an animal protection officer at ACCT. "He was scared, absolutely terrified. He never growled at me, never tried to bite, never charged me. He was literally just terrified."
Officer Ikonen named him "Valiant."
"He's a brave little guy," Ikonen said. "I think it suits him well."
ACCT Philly says Valiant is injured and needs to be nursed back to good health. They're hoping he finds a place to get specialized care, either as a foster or at a rescue.
"He's adorable, he's got these beautiful blue eyes," says Sarah Barnett, the acting executive director at ACCT Philly. "Once you get to know him a little bit and give him some time, he's very sweet. He's just very, very fearful, which makes sense given what he's been through."
If you're interested in helping Valiant, contact ACCT Philly.
They also want you to know that if you're interested in doing what Officer Ikonen does, they are hiring in the animal rescue department.
