Iowa Police Seek Community's Help After Finding 'Abandoned and Emaciated' Bulldog in Trash Bag

A male bulldog in desperate need of help is in caring hands after someone dumped the dog in a taped-up trash bag.

In a Dec. 13 Facebook post, the Des Moines Police Department said it was "requesting the community's assistance" in determining who left behind the "abandoned and emaciated" canine.

The agency added that someone brought the ailing animal to a City of Des Moines Animal Services facility on Dec. 10 after they found the bulldog on the side of an Iowa road, tied up in a trash bag with only his head sticking out.

"The male bulldog's body was inside a plastic trash bag, secured closed with tape, rendering the dog unable to walk. The dog's head was outside of the bag. The person who reported finding the dog said that what caught his attention as he drove by and saw the trash bag," the Des Moines Police Department detailed on social media.

After arriving at the shelter, the dog had a veterinary exam, where the "staff found the dog to be emaciated, weighing slightly over 23 pounds,."

Sgt. Paul Parizek of the Des Moines Police Department said in a statement to The Associated Press, that the bulldog is slowly recovering in the City of Des Moines Animal Services' care.

Related: Woman Caught on Camera Stealing 12-Year-Old French Bulldog, Owner Says His Son, 5, Is Heartbroken: 'What Do You Mean He's Gone?'

On Facebook, the police department shared that it believes the dog may have had previous veterinary care because the canine's ears are cropped and hopes that someone will recognize that animal and help the authorities find who abandoned the pet.

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The Des Moines Police Department requested that anyone who recognizes the bulldog or has relevant information about the dog should contact 515-248-6052, or submit an anonymous tip via Crime Stoppers of Central Iowa.

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