Animal lovers with the Humane Society of Elkhart County were heartbroken after an apparently abandoned dog was found dead on the outskirts of the organization’s property.

Police were called on Wednesday afternoon to the Humane Society at 54687 C.R. 19 in Bristol after an employee found the body of a dog chained to a tree on the edge of the shelter’s property, according to 95.3 MNC’s reporting partners at The Elkhart Truth.

The dog appeared to have been there for “a prolonged period of time.”

Officials believe the dog was tied up and abandoned sometime over the winter and was likely left behind a snow bank on the edge of the property where no one could see it.

If you have information about this incident, contact the Humane Society at 574-848-4225 or the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Department at 574-891-2100.