Sammy, the Cocker Spaniel dies after a year at new home
A Cocker Spaniel who gained worldwide attention last year after being left for dead in a trash bag has died at his new adoptive home.
Samurai, or Sammy for short, passed away aged 19 in the arms of his owners in Middleton, New Jersey, following a stroke which made it difficult for him to walk and eat.
A heartfelt message was posted to Facebook to inform his 43,000-plus fans, who have been following his heart-wrenching journey.
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Samurai, or Sammy for short, passed away aged 19 in the arms of his owners in Middleton, New Jersey, following a stroke which made it difficult for him to walk and eat.
'So many many of you will never be the same after knowing Sammy - his soulful eyes, his sweet spirit that shone through his beautiful face,' the post reads.
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Share'Yet in that little baby was such strength. Sammy Strong! He overcame so much.'
Sammy came to light in 2013 after Keith Morgan from Brick, New Jersey, said he had discovered the starving dog in a garbage bag on the side of the road.
Inhumane treatment: Sammy the dog was unable to walk when he arrived at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital last year because his fur had become so matted
Slowly on the mend: The Cocker Spaniel started to walk again thanks to rehabilitation treatment
The animal's fur was so matted with urine and feces that he was unable to stand.
Morgan was initially hailed as a Good Samaritan until investigators determined that he and his wife, Shauna Ewing Morgan, owned the dog.
The Morgans pleaded guilty to animal cruelty and were sentenced to six months in the Ocean County Jail for animal cruelty.
But a state judge overturned the sentences for house arrest, probation and community service.
Cruel: New Jersey's Keith Morgan (right) and Shauna Ewing Morgan (left) were sentenced to six months jail for abusing their dog Sammy
Final days: Victor Amato of the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals tells the Asbury Park Press the dog died being loved
Sammy recovered at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in Tinton Falls and was taken in by a foster family last April. They chose to remain anonymous.
Victor Amato of the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals tells the Asbury Park Press the dog died being loved.
He added: 'What the dog had gone through, it's a miracle the dog even survived.
'I remember holding the dog in my arms and remembering how frail it was. He was just bones. We never thought he was going to live 48 hours.'
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