A New Jersey woman has been accused of abandoning her blind and deaf dog along a road.

A local chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says 59-year-old Tania Connelly has been charged with animal cruelty and has been issued a summons to appear in court this month. The SCPA alleges Connelly abandoned the dog Saturday because she could not afford the animal's veterinary expenses.

Officials at the Animal Services of Bergen County say that that the dog was found alive.

“It’s a bit of a miracle story because the dog was not severely injured being let out of the car. She wandered from Industrial Highway Avenue on a Saturday across a very busy Walmart parking lot and a good Samaritan found her and brought her here,” says shelter director Deborah Yankow.

Connelly told NJ.com Friday she left her dog, Bruna, in a grassy area while she went shopping at a nearby Walmart store because she didn't want to leave Bruna in her car. She says she planned to return.

The dog had no identification, but authorities found the Fort Lee woman because a witness photographed her car.