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NATCHEZ — Despite efforts to reach an owner and administer care, an unclaimed dog often seen roaming a Natchez neighborhood was euthanized after being hit by a car earlier this week.

According to Tammy Breithaupt at Southside Veterinary Clinic, a good Samaritan brought the dog to the vet around 7:40 a.m. Wednesday.

She reached out to Natchez Animal Control to see if they recognized the dog, a large male mixed breed, and could help find his owner, noting that the dog seemed like he was healthy and taken care of before the accident.

Ashley Comer, who works alongside her son Nash Sanders at Natchez Animal Control, said the dog was often spotted in the neighborhood behind Parkway Baptist Church and seemed like he was bedding down somewhere in the neighborhood.

In an urgent attempt to find the owners, Natchez Animal Control shared the dog’s photo on social media and continued to ask around the neighborhood, but to no avail.

“(The dog) had no chip. We tried to find the owner and we stabilized the dog,” Breithaupt said. “But the dog’s injuries were severe so Dr. Tracey (Breithaupt) said the best thing for the dog was humane euthanasia. We hate it but he was paralyzed and in pretty bad shape.”