Animal shelter seeks fosterer to care for dog severely neglected by irresponsible owner

Stomper Joanna alerted Stomp to the sad story of a dog named Emma currently in the care of animal shelter, Mutts Rescue.

"Please help the poor dog," said Joanna, who is friends with the owner of the shelter.

Emma was bought as a pet when she was just a two-month-old puppy.

In the beginning, she was the apple of her owner's eye but things took a sudden turn when her owner was expecting a baby.

Emma then became a 'thing' to the family who kept her on a short leash throughout the day in her own pee tray.

According to the post on the shelter's Facebook page, she received no cuddles, walks or love and her only source of comfort was the pee tray.

Over time, her fur shed and her skin hardened.

She lost her 'cute puppy face' and her condition deteriorated while she was tied up on the balcony.

She was deemed 'diseased' and her owner was afraid that her skin condition would spread to her baby.

Thankfully, her owner's friend reached out to Mutts Rescue to plead them to take Emma in.

The shelter could not refuse after seeing heartbreaking photos of her condition.

She was severely neglected.

According to the post, "Emma broke free from the deliberate imprisonment by her heartless owner".

The shelter volunteers were surprised when they met Emma for the first time to see that she was a sweetheart as she happily wagged her tail and showered them with kisses.

When they brought her to Barkway Pet Health clinic, she zoomed around happy to be allowed to roam in a big space.

Although her condition is heartbreaking, she has not given up on humans.

Mutts Rescue is appealing for a "sincere and experienced fosterer to step up and help us with little Emma".

She will need to be on a special diet of crocodile meat and frog lets for at least three months to rule out any suspected food allergy.

She might require long term medications too as they figure out what is wrong with her.

Apart from that she is a healthy and happy five-year-old dog.

The shelter is also appealing for donations to defray Emma's visit to the vet that cost $334.38, pee pads as she is pee tray trained and funds to buy her special proteins.

Find out how you can help Emma here.