Reward doubles to $10K in case of severely emaciated puppy abandoned in Cobb County

COBB COUNTY, Ga. - The reward has doubled for information leading to the arrest of whoever left a severely emaciated dog on a porch on Forest Lane in Marietta without food, water, or bedding in freezing temperatures.

SEE ALSO: Severely emaciated puppy abandoned in metal cage in freezing weather

The backstory:

The poodle mix was left in the middle of the night on February 22; the temperature was in the 30s, and the dog had no food or water. 

The dog was just a puppy, around 5 months old, when he was left in a cage on a porch in the middle of the night. 

The homeowner's surveillance camera captured video of a man placing the cage on the porch and running off. 

The dog was taken to the Cobb County Animal Shelter.

What they're saying:

"It's one of the worst cases. The body condition indicates to us that it would have been near death soon," said Steve Hammond, director of Cobb County Animal Services. 

"The dog was certainly hungry when we brought him in, we put down a bowl of food, he went right to it and tried to eat all of it," said Hammond. 

Once the puppy was shaved, so investigators could get a better look at his body, it was obvious the pup was emaciated. "You can see the backbone, all of the ribs, hip bones, all of that was visible to us," said Hammond. 

"We have generated a few leads. Because of that, we have a very promising lead that came in yesterday afternoon," said Hammond. 

Hammond says this should never have happened, if someone can no longer care for a pet, there are options. 

What we know:

It's been a month since the dog was abandoned on that cold February night. 

There's now a $10,000 reward in the animal cruelty case in Cobb County. 

Hammond says half of the reward is being offered by Crime Stoppers and another $5,000 is being put up by a non-profit.

The dog, which is a poodle mix, is doing better and has already gained about four pounds.  

What we don't know:

The person seen in a Ring camera video has not yet been identified.

What's next:

Once the dog is up to a normal weight and deemed healthy Hammond says he will be put up for adoption or placed with a rescue.