A heart-wrenching discovery made by an officer from Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office has sparked fury online after a dog was abandoned in a tiny 12-foot storage room.

When her owners moved out, the dog was left alone and locked inside the small cupboard without water for several days.

"Deputy Joe Hager says this is one of the toughest parts of his job: When people abandon their pets," the Oklahoma police force said on Facebook alongside heartbreaking footage of the moment the dog was found.

"There was a full bag of food—outside the locked door. Animal control took possession of the dog," police said online.

The sheriff's office's Facebook post was flooded with comments from outraged community members.

"So sad," wrote commenter Kay Rogers. Another, Dana Ewing, shared her disbelief and said: "Poor baby! This makes me so sad, I don't understand how people can treat their animals this way."

Martha Mize, summed up the collective sentiment and said: "So heartless."

The tragic case is part of a larger issue, with animal shelters across the U.S. grappling with rising intake numbers. In 2023, 6.5 million animals entered shelters, marking a 4 percent increase compared to 2022, according to data from Shelter Animals Count. Of these intakes, 25 percent were animals relinquished by their owners, further contributing to the overcrowding crisis.

Adding to the strain, animals in shelters are facing a surge in euthanasia rates. Last year, approximately 850,000 animals were euthanized, a 15 percent rise from the previous year. Despite efforts by shelters to promote adoption, spay-and-neuter programs, and behavioral rehabilitation, the growing number of abandoned and surrendered pets is forcing many facilities to make heartbreaking decisions.

Sadly, this is far from the first time an animal has been abandoned by its owners and left to fend for themselves. Earlier this year, one dog was left in an empty apartment with no food and water for days before being saved by Cleveland Animal Care and Control.

Another dog was found in a bedroom closet in an apartment in Tampa, Florida, after being left "to die" by previous owners. In happier news, Athena who was found emaciated and dehydrated is now being well cared for and even gained viral attention when she enjoyed her first ever meal.

Newsweek reached out to Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office via email for comment.

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