Dog found in abandoned car in forest near Riga

A dog has been found inside an abandoned Citroen car in a forest in the Stopiņi parish of Ropaži municipality, in the Riga region of Latvia. The animal was later taken to the Mežavairogi animal shelter. Nothing has yet been established about the driver or why the dog was left behind, according to the TV3 programme "Degpunktā".

The dog, a German shepherd mix called Liepa, diligently guarded the vehicle, so specialists were called in. She has no microchip, which makes it impossible to identify her owner that way.

What is known about the car

So far it is known that the car was driven by a person who is not registered as its owner. A bowl was inside the vehicle and its doors had been left open. Liepa may have spent five hours alone in the Citroen.

The car is still in the forest. Various items were scattered around it, including a syringe. This suggests that a group of people may have used intoxicating substances and then could not get back along the off-road terrain. This is an assumption, not a confirmed fact.

Appeal to the public

The shelter's manager is asking anyone who knows who the dog's owner is to contact the State Police or the shelter. In the programme, law enforcement officers explained what might have happened to the owner.