Neglected dog was ‘out of sight, out of mind’ in dark KY basement. He needs help
.jpeg "Lionel has many ailments, it was discovered, but is now safe and healing.")
A pup in Kentucky is in need of help after it was discovered he was the victim of animal cruelty, a shelter said.
Lionel’s age and breed aren’t apparent to the naked eye due to extreme neglect, photos from the Ashland Animal Rescue Fund showed in an April 3 Facebook post.
“He was sequestered to a dark, lonely basement and put in a wire crate. Apparently someone in the house did not like the dog, so the owner placed him out of sight, out of mind,” the shelter said.
“We are assuming by his visual appearance that his body endured a lot of stress, neglect, and possible minimal nutrition. Can YOU imagine… alone, little to minimal interaction with people? Alone and confined to a wire crate? How incredibly sad.”
The shelter stepped in once staff heard word about the sweet-eyed pup’s condition.
“Animal Control was notified of this horrible situation and Lionel was removed from the house and taken to the shelter. Once we heard that we had a chance to hopefully help make a difference for this boy, we went to meet him today. Even though he was a little ‘growly and terrified,’ we knew he just needed TLC and to decompress. There was hope in his sad brown eyes,” the shelter said.
It was soon very clear that the dog was under an extreme amount of stress, causing him to lash out, when all he wanted to do was be near humans and loved on.
“Lionel free rode in our van with minimal restraint! All he wanted to do was crawl up on the passenger’s lap and put his nose out the window to catch a breath of fresh air and enjoy the breeze! How humbling it was to see the peace he was experiencing!” the shelter detailed.
The shelter went directly to work on Lionel’s ailments.
“We took Lionel straight to the vet! He received a skin scrape, which was negative for mange, however he is being treated as though it is mange. He received a steroid shot, antibiotics, and a Nexgard,” the shelter said.
“Lionel’s spine was pretty visible from very poor nutrition. His eyes were crusty and very watery. Plus, there are some masses hanging from his hairless body. He will also be bathed in a special medicated shampoo to help his dry, cracking, and bleeding skin!”
The pup isn’t listed on the shelter’s website since he’s not ready for adoption yet. For updates on Lionel’s story, follow the shelter’s Facebook page.
This story was originally published April 4, 2025 at 8:55 AM with the headline "Neglected dog was ‘out of sight, out of mind’ in dark KY basement. He needs help."