Police rescue malnourished dog, issue arrest warrant for owner

Officers responded Wednesday to a Motel 6 on Old Dogwood Road where a housekeeper reported finding a malnourished dog in a plastic box. The responding officer must've had a heart for animals.

"The officer was awesome," said Dr. Marcus Smith of the Chattahoochee Animal Clinic. "Very compassionate. She brought the dog in and stayed with the dog until we could take a look at it."

Smith said the dog was probably half her body weight.

"When they found her, they said she was kind of flat-out," he said. "She was responsive, but not really up and alert. Part of that was probably dehydration, part of that was lack of nourishment, and also part of that - fear. She just was thrown in a box."

Police are now looking for 38-year-old Alton Coates. He's wanted on a charge of aggravated animal cruelty.

Dr. Smith said he was amazed at how quickly the dog responded after getting a little nourishment. He said she began to wag her tail, and she gained enough energy to jump up on a chair.

A group called LifeLine Animal Project picked her up within a few hours and put her into a foster home.

"I called them got an update today. The dog's doing great, eating well and is already pre-adopted," Smith said. "Pretty quick turnaround for second chances. That's awesome."