BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — A severely-injured puppy is recovering at the MSPCA's Angell Memorial Medical Center in Jamaica Plain after suffering chemical burns over about 40 percent of her body.
Ramona, who is just 12 weeks old, was found cowering by the side of a wooded trail in Acton by a woman walking her dog on November 15.
The little puppy was in too much pain to walk—in addition to the burns, she had a broken left front leg and puncture wounds on her back—but was wagging her tail.
Anna Rafferty-Arnold, Associate Director at the MSPCA Boston Adoption Center, said Ramona is "just the sweetest, gentlest little puppy."
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"We can't imagine how something like this happened to her," Rafferty-Arnold said. "Luckily, a Good Samaritan came across her and saw that something was wrong and brought her directly to the MSPCA-Angell, and we are so grateful to them for doing that."
Since she was brought to the emergency center, she's been undergoing skin debridements.
"That means removing the dead tissue and then covering her remaining skin in a cream that will hopefully speed along the healing process," Rafferty-Arnold said. "She is also on pain medication that we're hoping to be able to wean her off of over time."
Ramona might need her leg amputated, but veterinarians are waiting until the rest of her body is healed to re-assess.
As for her name?
"We decided together that we wanted to name her after Ramona Quimby, because many of us read the Ramona books as children," Rafferty-Arnold said. "We thought that she was kind of a strong, spunky girl who had some setbacks for sure but never really gave up, and just had the positive attitude that we see in her a lot."
Acton Police and the MSPCA are offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to a conviction of animal cruelty in Ramona's case. So far, there are no leads—but you can call Acton Police at 978-929-7711 with any tips.
In the meantime, if you'd like to donate to help cover Ramona's medical bills, you can do so at mspca.org/helpramona.
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