If rescuers hadn’t shown up when they did, a severely abused puppy in Orange, New Jersey may very well have frozen to death. When authorities arrived at her (now former) owner’s apartment, they found the young dog in the freezer, suffering from multiple injuries.

A police officer and animal control officer arrived at the apartment after neighbors called about pained cries of a dog coming from the home. The officers found Rose, estimated to be just 8 to 10 weeks old, wrapped in a towel in the freezer and suffering from a fractured skull and a swollen eye, among other serious wounds.

Rose was rushed to Animal Emergency & Referral Associates in Fairfield, where it was determined that the puppy had been hit with a baseball bat before her heartless owner locked her in the freezer.

The owner, Micah Goodluck, now faces animal cruelty charges.

Cases like this show how important it is to report suspected animal abuse. Rose almost certainly would have died if nobody had alerted officials. So if you hear a dog, cat or any other animal cry out for help, please take action. A simple phone call may just save a life.