Merrillville police sound alarm over surge in dog dumping cases

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. - Officials in one northwest Indiana community are raising the red flag about what they are calling a "heartless" crime.

In recent weeks, the Merrillville Police Department has discovered a spike in dogs being abandoned by their owners – some in the middle of the night.

Oftentimes, the disturbing trend is a result of pet owners no longer being able to afford their animal's care, but police say dumping an animal can come with hefty fines and even criminal charges.

"It is heartless, because it’s a living being, it’s an animal," said Chief Kosta Nuses, Merrillville Police Department.

Recently, Chief Nuses says they've been receiving three to five reports of stray or abandoned dogs per day.

He believes that some of the dogs have been brought from surrounding cities to the Town of Merrillville, where they are being left.

"This seems to be a problem all over the nation, shelters are full," said Nuses.

With local shelters at capacity, Merrillville officers have been stepping up to care for some of the abandoned dogs, including a St. Bernard who was recently found alone.

"We think he is maybe a couple years old. He was found by our hotels, and we have been posting him on social media," said Nuses. "Nobody seems to know who he is."

The Humane Society of Northwest Indiana is all too familiar with the issue.

"If they can’t find a place, they will dump them, they will pull up in our parking lot and open the door and let them go, and we’ve seen that many times," said Mary Ann Massa, office manager, Humane Society of Northwest Indiana. "I’ll give you an example, they threw the dog over the fence, we have a six-foot fence."

Massa says they check all dogs for microchips, but sometimes the registered owners don't want the animals back – or don’t respond when they are contacted.

It’s a growing concern that Massa is calling an epidemic.

"This is what happens to our shelter, to Merrillville, Hobart, Munster, we're all full, we can't take it, and I will send them sheets of rescues to call, and they will say, 'I'm just going to put it out on the street.’ It’s heartbreaking to the staff at the shelter because our hands are tied. And we don’t see it getting better, it’s getting worse."

Massa says the cost of caring for an animal is a common factor when it comes to animal abandonment.  

"Usually, it’s because the apartment complex won’t let them have an animal. They will also do it if the animal is injured in some way and they can’t afford the vet, they will let it go," said Massa.

She adds that some cases of animal abandonment continue to stem from the COVID-19 pandemic.

"When COVID happened, we almost had an empty shelter. Everybody came and got a dog or a cat. Then what happened is after COVID was over, they wanted to bring the animals back," said Massa. "People were going back to work, and they were saying, ‘I don’t have time anymore, I have to work.’"

Through its food pantry, the Humane Society of Northwest Indiana offers support to animal owners who need assistance paying for pet food.

Meanwhile, Nuses is encouraging residents to contact the Merrillville Police Department if you see a dog being dumped by its owner.

"I’m urging the public for their help. The public are our eyes and ears," said Nuses.

Officials add that the public should NOT approach anyone who is abandoning an animal; instead, try to write down their license plate number and report that information to police.