Visually impaired pup Henry to live with foster parent after being abandoned on Arizona roadside

Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY
Updated ·2 min read
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An elderly, visually impaired dog abandoned on the roadside by owner in Benson, Arizona.
An elderly, visually impaired dog abandoned on the roadside by owner in Benson, Arizona.

An elderly, visually impaired dog who was abandoned by his owner at a roadside in Benson, Arizona will be placed with a temporary foster parent as his owner faces charges of animal neglect and cruelty, officials said.

Henry, a chihuahua/min-pin mix, was spotted by Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels and his wife Nickie on August 26 in Benson, 45 miles southeast of Tucson, walking down the exit ramp, according to the sheriff's office.

The pup was estimated to be 10 years old, but could be even older.

"We have reason to believe that Henry just aged like a fine wine and could actually be 12-13 years old," the sheriff's office said.

The couple secured the dog in their vehicle and handed him over to the Cochise County Sheriff's Office Animal Control Office, who placed him in a shelter, said the sheriff's office in a statement.

One of the animal control officers picked Henry up from the shelter at the end of last week and took him home for the weekend while preparing for a review of a temporary foster parent this week.

"He is being placed with full understanding that the county still has full charge of him until the case is over," said the sheriff's office. "We have a list of those who expressed an interest in helping keep Henry safe and we will make contact as needed while we work through this case."

Henry, an elderly, visually impaired dog, who was abandoned by his owner at a roadside in Benson, Arizona.
Henry, an elderly, visually impaired dog, who was abandoned by his owner at a roadside in Benson, Arizona.

Animal cruelty

Henry's owner, a 62-year-old Phoenix resident, was charged with animal cruelty and neglect and is due to appear in the Benson Justice Court later this month on September 20 to address the charges. The woman was cited and released, clarified a spokesperson of the sheriff's office to USA TODAY.

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The owner was located after an animal control officer determined the dog was chipped, with the last registered owner in Maricopa County. Several attempts were made to contact the owner initially, but no response was received for the numerous calls and messages, said the police.

On September 6, Sheriff Dannels and Sergeant Ray McNeely continued their investigation while attending a community event in Phoenix and attempted to locate the dog owner in the city, using her last known address.

Their efforts directed them to the owner, who was located at her home in central Phoenix.

The police said that the owner initially denied being in Cochise County, but later admitted to leaving her dog on the I-10, failing to notify law enforcement and ignoring the police's attempts to contact her.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dog to get foster care after abandoned on Benson, Arizona roadside