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Organization Hopes To Find Elderly Couple Who Left Sick Dog At Animal Shelter

SUN VALLEY (CBSLA.com) — An organization hopes to find an elderly couple who left their sick dog at an animal shelter.

KCAL9's Bobby Kaple reports that a 13-and-a-half-year-old Dachshund was left in a basket at an animal shelter on Thursday with an anonymous handwritten note asking for him to be put down.

The letter said, in part, "We are both seniors, sick with no money. He cannot function without us. Please put him to sleep."

Toby Wisneski with Sun Valley's Leave No Paws Behind, a non-profit that specializes in older dogs and ones with special needs, heard about the dog and scooped him up.

"That snapped my heart in two when I read the letter," she said.

Wisneski named the dog Harley and brought him to the East Valley Veterinary Clinic in Sun Valley, where Dr. Danielle Chapman has been treating him.

"He's really sweet. He loves to be cuddled," she said.

Chapman said Harley has non-contagious mange, bad teeth and joint pain.

"He's an older dog. He has quite a bit of arthritis, he has a skin condition, which is the most obvious thing going on right now," she said.

Kaple reports that all of Harley's infections and conditions are treatable.

"Medicated shampoos, treatment for his skin, once he's a little bit stronger, we're probably going to address his teeth," Chapman said.

Wisneski now wants to reunite the dog with its owners.

"Perhaps they'll recognize him, see him. Or neighbors will recognize him and alert the owners. First and foremost, to let them know he's okay and he's doing fine. And we'd like them to contact us," she said.

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