Mali was thrown out like trash — but now she is being treated like a treasure.
According to the John Baccala, the City of Kansas City‘s Communications/Community Liaison, the pit bull dog was abandoned in a “notorious area for illegal trash dumping” on Friday, an extremely hot Missouri day with an official high of 95 degrees and a heat index of 105 degrees.
Mali didn’t have to endure the blazing temperature for long: thankfully, Alan Ashurst, illegal dumping investigator with the City of Kansas City, and a Kansas City Police officer were working on an illegal trash dumping case nearby when they were told a man had just been caught on a livestream camera situated at another known illegal trash dumping site opening the door of his car and letting his dog out into the heat and garbage nearby.
Once the dog was out of the car, the man drove off, leaving the animal alone.
“Ashurst and the KCPD officer responded to the scene, found the dog (gray female pitbull) immediately and notified KCMO Animal Health and Public Safety. Animal Health Officer Keresa Hurst responded minutes later and took the dog in,” Baccala told PEOPLE in an email.
Mali was taken to KC Pet Project, the city’s no-kill shelter partner, where her story quickly spread, leading to numerous calls coming in over the weekend inquiring about adopting the abandoned pet.
However, Mali’s original owner was easy to track down. Since Mali had a microchip loaded with her most up-to-date address, authorities had an exact location for the man who ditched the dog.
The suspect admitted to KCPD and Animal Health that he left the dog behind, saying he no longer wanted the family pet around his 3-year-old child.
Baccala noted that charges have not been formally filed, but that the city plans to charge the former owner with animal abandonment.
Aside from a case of heartworm and a small mass on her neck, Mali is doing well and her health issues are being addressed. Since KCPD and Animal Health and Public Safety responded quickly to the call about the dog’s dumping, she was not affected but the potentially fatal Friday heat.
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