WILLIAMS TWP., Pa. — His coat was green plaid.
And at 4:38 p.m. Sunday, the surveillance camera at the Center for Animal Health & Welfare in Williams Township recorded the short, stocky, sweet-faced dog wearing that coat.
A man walked him right up to the shelter, stuck him in a black metal crate, placed some donation-bin kibble in it, closed the door, and did the unthinkable.
Drove off.
The dog would wait through a thunderstorm, wet and vulnerable for 16 hours, until shelter employees arrived in the morning.
Once the center posted Boomer's photo on its Facebook page — wearing the now-soaked green plaid coat public outrage manifested itself in a thousand angry and broken-heart emojis, hundreds of shares and an onslaught of unfiltered comments.
Center Executive Director Rose LoPiccolo also was outraged.
“How is it possible for someone to leave a dog outside the shelter moments before a rainstorm, thunder nonetheless, to just fend for itself?” LoPiccolo said in a call Tuesday.
“So many bad things could have happened overnight. He had no defense — what if an animal had tried to attack it.
"We always think about all the bad things that could happen.”
State police at Belfast confirmed they responded to a call from the center about the dumped dog, and said they're investigating the crime — it's illegal to abandon or attempt to abandon a dog in Pennsylvania.
They declined further comment Tuesday.
Latest in series of dumpings
Meanwhile, center intake staff go through their process: befriend, calm, feed, water, walk and assess the new fella — a beautifully brindled boy with white bib and brown ears that flop at the top.
The good boy with pristine white paws that look like new summer sneakers.
Boomer is not the first dumped dog of 2025 at the center and, center officials said, he won't be the last.
He's simply the latest. Six have been dumped so far there.
"We can't take more in if we can't get more out."Rose LoPiccolo, Center for Animal Health & Welfare on fostering dogs until they find permanent homes
Currently, 35 dogs wait for permanent homes on site, while five are in foster homes, something desperately needed.
"We can't take more in if we can't get more out," LoPiccolo said. "We supply everything for fostering — food, medical care, access to a portal to share updates and photos, just very fluid, clear communication.
"We even have a 24/7 number they can call if anything comes up. Access to basically someone here at the shelter day and day out."
The center's current average wait time for a dog to be adopted is 45 to 60 days.
Some long-term residents, such as Benita and Athena, she said, have been there for years.
"I think for them, it has a lot to do with their personalities and finding the right person," LoPiccolo said.
LoPiccolo said she wanted to highlight that "the number of pittie [pit bull] mixes we have right now has increased, with the recent drop in adoptions and increase in dumps and surrenders."
"We're always encouraging people to open their homes to the pitties and the bullies [bulldogs] who are often overlooked because of their appearance," she said.
"If more people gave them the opportunity to show you just who they are, we have four or five right now that literally don't have a mean bone in their body. They want to crawl up in your lap and lick your face off."
Age also matters, and senior pets tend to find themselves there the longest.
It's not the pandemic anymore
Why are people illegally dumping dogs?
Don't blame the coronavirus pandemic, LoPiccolo said.
"On occasion, we might still see that excuse," she said. "At the time, people had all the time in the world.
"Now, especially with more people back at work and raising those expanding families, no one has time to care for the dog that brought them so much joy and kept them company."
The biggest issue now, she said, is the current housing crisis and the lack of affordable housing.
"What it costs for people to live in housing, and whether or not they have to move to a place that doesn't allow pets," LoPiccolo said.
People mean well. The social media responses are chock-full of good intentions. Many say they'll come and adopt a dog.
"But people rarely follow through, unfortunately," LoPiccolo said. "It is hard. It's hard to be positive when it's so upsetting and angering.
"It really comes down to responsible pet ownership as well as being diligent about gathering information from people you are rehoming your pet to."
As for a solution to dumping a dog, LoPiccolo continues to stress that pet owners foster to help stray and abandoned dogs (and cats) and follow the processes that the Center and other shelters have in place.
Process to relinquish a dog
There is a process in place to relinquish a dog, which LoPiccolo said is pretty straightforward:
- Email or call, saying need to rehome/surrender
- Fill out a surrender request on the website
- You'll get an automatic reply that the center will respond within 72 hours
- Once the request is reviewed by internal staff, they let the applicant know the next steps. They'll either go on a wait list or can schedule an evaluation. Once it’s scheduled, the center will take the animal right away.
"It’s rare we don’t take a dog," said LoPiccolo. "It would have to be something like, they didn't tell us the dog is aggressive.
"We can supply trainer resources for an aggressive dog, but they should be really communicating with their vet for meds, a training plan. There are always options for those people."
"Make contact with us. We have guidelines. It might not happen immediately, but eventually we will find a spot for your dog, but you have to be patient."Rose LoPiccolo
There is a fee associated with surrendering. It varies, depending on whether the animal is spayed or neutered and up to date on vaccines. The starting fee for dogs is $150 and $100 for cats.
LoPiccolo said finances shouldn't deter people from reaching out if they need assistance. They want what's best for the animal.
"It's our drive and our passion, and it’s what we all are here to do," LoPiccolo said. "Make contact with us. We have guidelines.
"It might not happen immediately, but eventually we will find a spot for your dog, but you have to be patient.
"Make the effort it takes to plan for emergencies with your animals, including the passing of family members or owner sickness," she said.
How to help
Those who commented on the shelter's Facebook post said penalties can't come swiftly enough for the person who abandoned Boomer in a storm.
Staff write up an incident report at minimum for any animal left on the property. LoPiccolo said they've been lucky to have had justice served in a lot of their cases thus far.
Abandonment, neglect, abuse are probably seven out of 10 of the cases right now, she said.
"We may not be able to find the person," LoPiccolo said. "I really hope that we do. We've shared footage with the state police. it's in their hands to best serve justice in Boomer's name.
"We've built a relationship with most of the Belfast station troopers, and I'm thankful for all of them, their support and for taking these matters seriously for us."
Penalties for abandonment vary by case. Typically, LoPiccolo said, she handles as much follow-up as she can. People might be charged in a few days, if enough information is confirmed.
"As long as they don't plead 'not guilty,' charges can be brought quickly.
Very few times, the dumper asks for the animal back, she said. The answer always is no.
"We don't, because we're afraid of what might happen next," she said.
How to stop the heartbreaking trend is the million-dollar question, officials said.
At the very least, LoPiccolo urged the public to join other volunteers who assist the dozen daily staff members to walk dogs, show cats gentle enrichment, read to the dogs and bake them treats.
"Right now, we're in need of cleaning supplies," LoPiccolo said. "Bleach, paper towels, garbage bags. Those are always a huge need. And the dogs really love the hard, durable bones, the Nylabones, the Benebones."
The center has a wish list of items needed on Amazon.
'Truly heartbreaking'
A few calls came in about Boomer on Tuesday after the social media post. Once he becomes available, LoPiccolo anticipates the flood gates to open.
As of late Wednesday afternoon, Boomer had to finish up health and behavioral assessments, but things were looking favorable.
"Even in his pictures we've taken so far, he just looks so sweet, but so sad."Rose LoPiccolo
Staff were able to "quite quickly" assess that he wasn't a threat. He sniffed them through the crate and let them put a slip lead on him.
"They took him on a quick walk just to relieve him, and he seemed to do well on the walk," LoPiccolo said. "He hadn't messed in the crate in 16 hours in the middle of a storm."
Mid-afternoon Wednesday, there had been no update on Boomer's case from state police. But LoPiccolo texted a significant, albeit devastating, update of her own.
"Today, Boomer saw his coat sitting on the counter, and he started pawing at it while staff had him out," she said.
"They put it on him and he got so excited, like he thought he would be going home.
"Truly heartbreaking. It brought tears to our eyes to see that.
"Even in his pictures we've taken so far, he just looks so sweet, but so sad."
The Center for Animal Health & Welfare is open daily 8 a.m.-4 p.m. but by appointment only to visits pets, during the hours of noon to 4 p.m. Call or email for more information.
