Abandoned dog sickened by meth looking for forever home

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- A dog found shivering and shaking with methamphetamine in his system is proving he's a survivor.

The abandoned pup was rescued from a Fresno County property and is now ready for a stable and loving forever home.

"He's wonderful. He's he's just a wonderful dog," said Animal Control Officer Jessie Alcorn.

When Alcorn first encountered a hound mix, now named Rockhound, he was nervous, scared, and sick.

A far different dog than he is today.

On April 2, she responded to an abandonment call at a property in Fresno County where she found four dogs and six cats.

She posted a notice for the owners, giving them time to claim the animals, but by the time she returned just two days later the situation had taken a dark turn.

"I found this dog had clearly gotten into some sort of toxin on the property," said Alcorn. "I noticed that he was violently shaking, and was huddled in the back of a dog house."

At first, Alcorn thought Rockhound may be cold from a recent hail storm, but quickly realized his condition was far more severe than a deep chill so she called her partner, Officer Breana Begin, for help.

"The other dogs in the property were shivering because it was cold outside, but they weren't as severe as him," said Begin.

"So we sprung into action. I took him with me, she took the other animals and then I kind of just rushed him to the vet to get him looked at."

Tests showed Rockhound had eaten meth he had likely found on the property in search of food. He had to be put on IV fluids and sedated as his body healed from the dangerous drug.

The officers later learned the owners had been evicted and left the animals behind to fend for themselves instead of reaching out for help.

"If you know that you're leaving the house soon, and you have a bunch of animals that you can't care for and you need resources or you need to rehome them just reaching out to us before we have to kind of come up and solve the problem afterwards," said Begin.

As for Rockhound, they believe he is two years old and he's showing no outward signs of the trauma he's been through. Fixed and loving he's ready to find a place to call home.

"Maybe a family that has another dog that he can play with because he is very, very friendly with other dogs," said Alcorn. "But something that is high energy that can keep up and be playful with him because he has a younger dog and he's pretty spunky."

If you'd like to adopt Rockound, visit Fresno Humane Animal Services where you can find him or one of their many other adoptable pets.

Fresno Humane also offers lost cost and free spay and neuters. For more information, click here.

For news updates, follow Kate Nemarich on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.