Dog Found Severely Injured At Secaucus Motel On Rt. 3

SECAUCUS, NJ — The Secaucus Animal Shelter and Secaucus town residents are paying to rehabilitate a dog that was found battered and injured within an inch of its life last Monday at a motel on Rt. 3.

But still, it remains unclear exactly what happened that left a six-pound Maltese Shih Tzu blind and with traumatic brain injury, according to Chris Conte, the director of the Secaucus Animal Shelter.

The incident occurred last Monday, Sept. 24: According to Conte, who has a copy of the police report, Secaucus police were called to the Royal Motel on Rt. 3 at about 11 p.m. on that date. There, they found a man and a woman staying in a motel room that had been trashed; lamps in the room had been broken and the TV was broken. (Police had been called to the same motel room earlier that day for a medical situation; exactly what that situation was was not in the report.)

The woman met the responding officers outside in the parking lot; she was holding the 17-week-old dog wrapped in a white towel. The woman said she was the owner of the dog, but she "did not know how the dog got injured," Conte said. The dog was breathing, but not moving and appeared almost dead. A veterinarian would later determine the dog had a broken pelvis and multiple broken ribs. It would ultimately lose vision in both its eyes. And it had suffered a traumatic brain injury.

There were no external injuries on the animal and no visible signs of blood.

Conte said the officer rushed the dog to the emergency vet clinic in Lyndhurst. They admitted her, but it was unclear if she would survive the night.

"We thought she would die that night," said Conte. "It was really touch and go."

The next morning, the dog was taken back to Secaucus, and evaluated by Dr. John Hatch of the Secaucus Animal Hospital. He said the dog needed to be seen by a neurologist due to severe brain swelling, so from there she was taken to a specialty vet clinic in Oradell, Conte said. She remained unable to move, but on pain medication and breathing for the next few days. Finally, just this past Monday, the dog began to show signs of life.

"She started to move her head and track with her eyes towards the sound of our voices," said Conte. "She also became able to turn her head to follow a human's voice. That was just this past Monday. And incredibly, she is now attempting to stand, despite her broken pelvis. The improvement from Sunday night into Monday has just been tremendous."

The fact that the dog showed signs of being able to walk and move are crucial, said Conte. Otherwise, there was a strong chance she would be euthanized, if she was unable to ever move independently again. The dog will however, remain blind for life. There was no way for vets to restore the vision that she lost in both eyes.

Arrangements have already been made for the dog to be adopted. Her owners at the Royal Motel waived the one-week legal timeline they have to come and collect the animal, Conte said.

What happened to this Shih Tzu? Conte said she wants to find out. As with all cases of possible animal abuse, she documented the dog's injuries and is coordinating with Secaucus police as they investigate the incident. The residents of Secaucus have been amazing, Conte said: So far, the dog's medical bills are $7,000 and all of that has been paid for by the Friends of the Secaucus Animal Shelter, which she founded.

"People in town have been coming by and just dropping off checks," she said. "It's just been amazing."

Similar reporting from the Secaucus Patch:

Dog Left In Hot Car At Secaucus Walmart, Woman Arrested

Goat Abandoned At Secaucus Walmart

Seals Spotted In The Hackensack River In Secaucus

Alligator Seen in Secaucus Town Duck Pond

Exterior of the Royal Motel via Google Earth.