ASPCA Special Investigator Paul Romano and Special Agent Joe Pentangelo investigate a call about a skinny chow, called Rusty, left chained to a fence in a backyard. When they arrive, they find it's not just skinny, it's the most emaciated dog they've seen in a long time. They seize Rusty and take him straight back to the ASPCA hospital where Dr Cailin Gidlewski is shocked by the dog's condition. They're determined to make arrest the man who starved the dog, but it will take several visits before they can track him down.