Ralphie, the starving, injured dog found in Sharp Park, is thriving in his foster home

A dog brought to the Capital Area Humane Society after being found in Sharp Park starving, wounded, and covered in urine and feces is in a foster home and doing great.

“He is thriving in his foster home. He’s had a minor setback with the respiratory infection, but considering his overall health, it’s not uncommon for animals in poor health to get something like a respiratory infection,” said the president and CEO for the Capital Area Humane Society, Julia Willson.

Despite the respiratory infection, Ralphie is gaining weight. So far, he’s gained seven pounds since going to the foster home on Feb. 5.

“Which is about right on track for what we’d expect with a refeeding program or a starvation dog that needs to be slowly reintroduced to food,” said Willson.

Willson added they don’t expect the respiratory infection to impact him in the long run.

Ralphie is active, happy, and is still eating, which is what the humane society looks for in a dog that’s been through something like this.

There is a possibility that Ralphie could be placed for adoption in March or April.

“When we look at these cases over an average, it’s usually about two months before these dogs are ready or cats are ready to go into an adoptive family, that we feel they are stabilized to the point where they can kind of proceed as a normal dog,” Willson said.

According to Eaton County Animal Control, they have not received any leads on the case.

If anyone has information on what happened, they should call Eaton County Animal Control at (517) 543-5755 or the Eaton County Sheriff’s Office at (517) 372-8217.

The Capital Area Humane Society is still offering a $2,500 reward for the arrest and conviction of the person responsible.