The hunt is on for whoever abandoned a badly abused, sick dog that was left outside a Freeport animal shelter.

Nassau's top prosecutor is calling the incident one of the worst cases of animal abuse she's seen.

The Nassau district attorney says the dog named Athena was found stuffed in an enclosed crate outside Bobbie & The Strays in Freeport on July 7 between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. The drop-off was caught by a security camera outside the animal rescue facility.

A worker rushed the dog to Howard Beach Animal Clinic.

"Saw the dog lying there, absolutely disgusting, emaciated, sores all over her," says Rich Flynn, who first made the discovery.

Bobbi Giordano, the owner of Bobbi & the Strays, says everybody had tears after seeing the dog.

News 12 has been told Athena, who is 5 years old, was near death after being forced to live without food in the small crate for weeks.

Athena is emaciated and suffering from several deep open wounds.

Dr. Ashley Davis, of Howard Beach Animal Clinic, says the amount of muscle mass wasting Athena has is "pretty severe."

"I've personally never seen anything this bad so you can only imagine this didn't happen overnight," Davis says. "This is something that's been going on for some time."

The Nassau SPCA is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in this case.

"The person who brought that dog there either they did it or they saved that animal's life," says Gary Rogers, of the Nassau SPCA. "We need to know who that is and that's why we're offering a $5,000 reward."

Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly is also asking the public help to find the dog's abuser.

"Athena can't tell us her story so we need the public's help to let us know if they know anything about the person who dropped the crate off," Donnelly says.

Rescue workers named the dog Athena after the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom and war because she has shown incredible strength.

"Somebody should pay for this," Flynn says. "An innocent animal did not deserve that."