Louisville Metro Animal Services seeks driver who abandoned a puppy tied to a metal pole outside Newburg Road office

Louisville Metro Animal Services is asking for help identifying a driver who abandoned a puppy outside the agency’s Newburg Road office, according to a report from WAVE. The incident came after someone tied a puppy to a metal pole at or near the facility and then left, the station reported on October 21.

WAVE reported that people who want to give up a pet can do so at LMAS, but the process requires showing up in person and completing surrender paperwork. The report said that surrendering pets in that way is intended to connect animals with appropriate intake procedures, documentation, and steps that can increase the chances of finding a “forever home.”

LMAS has said residents can surrender dogs or cats they own, or they can bring in strays they have found, but it must be done through the agency’s established intake process rather than leaving animals outside the building. The agency’s request for identification centers on the circumstances of the abandoned puppy, which authorities and animal officials treat as avoidable and potentially harmful to the animal.

The report described the abandoned puppy as tied to a metal pole, a setup that can expose the animal to weather and safety risks while it waits for help. Animal services officials typically require in-person intake so staff can assess the animal’s condition, determine whether it may be a lost pet, and document custody and ownership issues in a way that can be verified later if questions arise.

It was not immediately clear from the WAVE report whether the driver left any identifying information at the scene. LMAS is therefore asking for the public’s assistance to determine who was responsible, and to ensure that future surrenders are handled through the intake process rather than being performed at the facility’s perimeter.

Residents who find animals in distress are urged to contact the appropriate authorities and to use LMAS’s established procedures, which include coming to the agency location to complete required forms. For LMAS, bringing the abandonment incidents into the open is also a matter of institutional accountability, since outside-the-building dumping can create enforcement questions and complicate records needed for subsequent adoption or reunification efforts.