Police are looking for the owner of a pit bull who left the animal chained up and abandoned in the basement of a Paterson building.

Animal control officers say that they found the frightened, emaciated dog near death. They say that the dog had sores and cuts all over its feet and belly.

“This is as bad as it gets,” says Frannie Laurita of the Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge. “You can see every bone in her face, every bone in her body. You can see where her heart’s beating. She just has nothing left on her.”

Laurita says that the dog, who has been named Phoenix, was caked in her own waste and could not stand or lift her head. 

“She did try to bark. Nothing came out,” Laurita says.

A 1-year-old pit bull should weigh about 40 pounds. Phoenix only weighs 20.

Officials say that concerned residents alerted authorities about the dog Wednesday morning. The dog was found in sweltering heat that topped 100 degrees.

“The person who did this needs to go to jail,” says Paterson Animal Control Chief John DeCando.

Those caring for Phoenix say that it is touch-and-go right now, but are hoping that she will recover after some medical care and love.

“What I want to happen to her is that she will rise from the ashes of what she's been through. Reinvent herself and start a new life,” Laurita says.

Paterson animal control is working with the building's landlord to track down the renters who left the dog behind.  In addition to animal control, Paterson police and the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office are working this investigation.  

Anyone who may have information about the abandonment is asked to contact the authorities.