Neighborhood comes together to capture neglected dog roaming for weeks in Utah County
Mar 1, 2023, 9:39 AM | Updated: 9:50 am
SARATOGA SPRINGS, Utah — For the last two weeks, pictures and videos of a malnourished Great Dane have flooded neighborhood social media pages in Saratoga Springs and Lehi.
The posts caught the attention of Elyse and Matt Wood. After a couple of days monitoring the tips on sightings, they decided to get involved in the search.
“We kept waiting for more postings to come up. Then people saw her, and I was like, we need to do something, we need to get involved,” Elyse said. “I thought, let’s at least get her back to her owner.”
The couple organized a search party on Saturday through the Zellow app. The post for help was so popular — about 50 people showed up to search an area where the couple noticed the dog’s bloody tracks.
“The fire department came and tried to get her; that didn’t work. Animal control, both Saratoga and Lehi, but nothing was helping,” Elyse said.
Neighbors in Saratoga Springs and Lehi come together to capture a dog that had been roaming the streets for two weeks. She was 40 pounds underweight, something the Vet said could not have happened in those two weeks.
Full story at 10:00 @KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/pGjBProB0o— Ashley Moser (@AshleyMoser) March 1, 2023
The dog, named Luna, was scared off by the dozens of people trying to catch her. She ran towards the hills of Saratoga Springs and coincidentally ended up in the townhomes where the Woods live.
“We were able to catch her using breakfast sausages,” Matt said. “Once I lassoed a leash around her, it’s almost like she gave up.”
The couple took her to a pet hospital where the veterinarian told them she had frostbite on her paws, which caused an infection, “cherry eyes” that will require surgery to remove, and was around 40 pounds underweight. Something Wood said could not have happened over the two weeks she was seen roaming around.
“Her last 11 months, she’s been bouncing from home to home,” he said. “I’ve gotten three people to say they were past owners. The last owner told us, ‘I can pay the medical bills, but I really don’t want her anymore.’”
The family, along with their two other large dogs, have now taken Luna in. They are hoping to give her some stability after a difficult experience.
“I mean, poor thing. It’s just too much,” Elyse said.
A GoFundMe* page has been set up to help with Luna’s care, her bills and a future eye surgery.
*KSL TV does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
