Police in West Bridgewater are looking to charge a 27-year-old man with animal cruelty after an officer discovered a severely malnourished dog in his car during a routine traffic stop.

Officer Alexandra Maloney made the heartbreaking discovery after she pulled the Taunton man over for allegedly running a red light shortly before noon on Nov. 24, the West Bridgewater Police Department said .

The dog, a puppy named Sprout, was “significantly underweight,” according to police; in a photo shared on the department’s Facebook page, her ribs and spine protrude from a skeletal frame. She was rushed to Westbridge Veterinary Referral Hospital, where she received medical care.

Sprout is now in the care of the Animal Protection Center of Southeastern Massachusetts, where she’s on the mend. The

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