Dog found with deeply embedded chain Dublin, GA (US) Incident Date: Sunday, Feb 4, 2007 County: Laurens Local Map: available Disposition: Open Case Images: 1 files available Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help! Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

Case ID: 10714 Classification: Neglect / Abandonment Animal: dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in GA (US) Login to Watch this Case

A dog received by the Dublin-Laurens Humane Society had part of a chain deeply embedded in her flesh, and those people who assisted in her rescue are infuriated at her plight.

Named Suki by shelter workers, the approximately year-old white bulldog mix was found with a portion of a tow chain hanging from her neck, one of the links embedded in the flesh below her chin and link-shaped wounds around her neck indicating where the rest of the chain had come perilously close to also becoming embedded in the flesh.

�This is happening in our own community, and the public turns a blind eye,� said shelter manager Irene Sumner. �[Shelter] employees and volunteers see similar cases on a daily basis, but most are not this severe...this shows a hideous disregard for any living thing.�

Sumner said Suki was brought in by Laurens County Animal Control officer Jeff Shepard and is a sweet, loving girl � amazing in such an abused dog.

�Other than being scared when she came in, she�s a good dog. She just wants attention and loving. She just craves affection. She�s only about a year old and has probably been chained her entire life.�

Laurens County 911 Director Linda Fowler said that her agency received a call shortly after 4 p.m. Feb 4 stating that a white dog appeared to be injured at the city limits sign on Hwy 19 South. According to the transcript of the call, the dog had a heavy chain around her neck, which appeared to be bloody.

�We notified Animal Control,� said Fowler.

Shepard said that he received a call from 911 Feb 4 afternoon regarding a stray dog on Hwy 19 South, just past the E-Z Stop & Shop, in the planter beneath the �Welcome to Dublin� sign.

�Animal Control doesn�t normally respond to weekend calls unless it�s a life-threatening situation, but the caller said the dog appeared to be injured, since she was just laying in the flower bed. �

Dublin police officer Wayne Harrison was on patrol and heard the call. He arrived on the scene shortly before Shepard.

�911 got a call from someone who thought the dog might have been hit by a car and was bleeding from the neck. There was a lady there who said she�d called 911, and she and I backed off and gave the dog plenty of room so we wouldn�t scare her off before Animal Control arrived.�

While they waited, Harrison said they realized that she had a chain hanging from her neck.

�She�d been totally abused. I�d like to find who did it.�

Lois Henderson, whose house is nearby, said she had noticed the dog earlier in the day, but since numerous strays wander through that area, she didn�t really pay much attention to her until it began getting dark and Suki was still in the planter.

�It was getting close to dark, and it was gonna be cold. [She] needed something done for [her] before night.�

Henderson called her daughter, Ruth Lancaster, who called 911 to report the dog. Shortly after her call, neighbor Bobbie Jo Myers� Jack Russell terrier slipped out of her house, and Myers ran out to retrieve her dog. She saw Suki, as well.

�My dog ran right up to her, and she showed no signs of aggression.�

Myers took her dog back home and called 911. She was informed that a call had already been placed about Suki.

�I decided to go back down there and wait in case the dog started to leave, and I spoke with the officer when he arrived.�

She said that they could clearly see the chain digging into her neck, but Suki stayed in or near the planter.

�It was like her safety zone or point of reference. We figured someone had dumped her there...my heart bled for her.�

When he arrived on the scene, Shepard discovered that Suki had approximately a foot of heavy chain hanging from her neck, part of which was embedded in the flesh.

�This is not something someone didn�t know was happening,� he said.

When Suki arrived at the shelter, workers were horrified at her condition.

�This sort of cruelty really hits home, because kids and animals can�t speak for themselves. People need to be held accountable for their actions,� said Sumner.

Sumner and her staff knew that the standard procedure would be to euthanize a dog in such serious condition, but something about Suki made them hesitate. They decided instead to test her for heartworms and see how she reacted to people.

While Suki was timid but friendly, she was also heartworm positive, another strike against her. Still, Sumner refused to euthanize her.

�We don�t really have the finances to take on this case, but we�re doing it anyway. Her perseverance in the face of her pain shows that if humans were as good as dogs, we would have a society to brag about.�

Sumner called Dublin Animal Hospital and Smalley�s Animal Hospital, clinics which work with the shelter on spays, neuters and other medical procedures for shelter animals, to see which clinic could remove the chain from Suki�s neck as soon as possible. Smalley�s was able to work her into their hectic schedule Tuesday afternoon.

Dr. Shelley Baumann performed the surgery, assisted by vet tech Richie Hatcher.

Suki enjoyed the loving attention of both Baumann and Hatcher while they waited for the anesthesia to take effect, happily standing on her back legs to push her head into their hands for pats and rubs while they lavished her with praise, telling her what a good dog she was. As soon as Suki succumbed to the sedative, the two became all business, quickly moving her onto the surgery table and shaving her entire neck.

During the shaving, Baumann was delighted to realize that the chain was not embedded in Suki�s neck all the way around, just under the chin. She gently grasped folds of skin all around the back of Suki�s neck and said, �There�s no metal here; this is good.�

Seeing the pulse of an artery near the chain gave her pause, however, and she wondered aloud if the chain was too close to the carotid artery.

She and Hatcher carefully removed the scabs from the back of Suki�s neck, reopening the link-shaped wounds there � necessary to check for infection and to clean away the dark oily substance matting them.

�I can�t place that smell,� said Baumann of the substance. �Maybe some Good Samaritan cut her loose and tried to treat her wounds.�

While Baumann extended the chain, Hatcher used bolt cutters to remove the hanging links. Red-faced with effort, he finally succeeded in cutting them off.

�That�s a tow chain,� he said. �There�s no way she broke loose from that on her own.�

Eyeing the chain, kennel tech Donnie Carswell said, �That�s just abuse, plain and simple.�

With only the embedded link remaining, Baumann carefully probed the wound to see how deeply it was in the flesh and determine the best method of removal. She decided to make another small incision above the open wound, to see if the link could be eased out. There was a bolt on the end, however, so she had to enlarge the incision. Still, the link would not budge.

Hatcher again took the bolt cutters and exerted as much force as possible to remove more of the exposed link, so that the embedded portion would be easier to remove. Forceps would not move the link, so Baumann had to resort to a clamp, tightening it around the metal and finally pulling it from Suki�s neck.

�Way to go, Team Smalley!� she exclaimed softly as the link, approximately an inch long, came out.

During the procedure, which took just over an hour, the entire staff at Smalley�s found time to stop in and check on Suki�s progress. She had quickly won their hearts.

�She�s just so stinkin� sweet,� said Dr. Peggy Hobby, a sentiment echoed by the rest of the staff.

As Baumann and Hatcher rinsed out the wounds and incision with sterile saline, Baumann expressed relief that the procedure had gone so smoothly. The risk of death during surgery is high for any stressed animal, more so for a heartworm positive dog.

�She�s got a long way to go, but she�ll be OK.�

Wednesday, Sumner picked Suki up to take her back to the shelter. While reluctant to move through doorways and skittish at traffic noises, Suki showed no signs other than her shaved, scarred neck that she had been so close to death. She wagged her tail delightedly at the attention she received from Sumner and the staff at Smalley�s as she moved cautiously toward the door.

Once she is back at the shelter, Suki will be treated for heartworms and receive her vaccinations. When her neck is healed, she will be taken back to the vet to be spayed, after which she will be available for adoption.

Upon being apprised of Suki�s situation and seeing photos of her wounds, District Attorney Craig Fraser stated his intention to prosecute the person or persons responsible for her abuse, if they can be apprehended.

�After reviewing the pictures shown to me, if we can prove this abuse was intentional and can catch the guilty party, we will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law. There�s no reason to torture a dog like that, and we�re not gonna tolerate the torture of animals.�

He cited Georgia statute 16-12-4, which states in part that if a person knowingly �causes... physical harm to an animal by...seriously disfiguring� the animal, that person can be charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, which carries a sentence of from one to five years in prison, and/or a fine of up to $15,000.

The Dublin-Laurens Humane Society is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Suki�s abuse. Anyone with information about her case may contact the shelter at 478-272-5341. Leave a message if there is no answer.

Sumner urges people to get involved and speak out when they see or suspect animal abuse.

�People who care about animals need to take a stand and be willing to get involved. When you see potential animal abuse, report it to Animal Control, or to the police or sheriff�s office. Our law enforcement officers are also mandated to handle animal abuse, which is a felony in Georgia. Take pictures or videos, if possible, to document what you see. Get involved � we need to stand up as a community and as individuals and say I�m not gonna take this anymore.�

She added that unless people do take a firm and vocal stand against animal abuse, �we will continue to see these types of abuse cases.�

Because Suki�s surgery and heartworm treatment will be quite an expense for the shelter, any donations by the public toward her care will be gratefully accepted. Contributions toward Suki�s care may be sent to the Dublin-Laurens Humane Society c/o Suki Fund, P.O. Box 4358, Dublin, Ga. 31040.

Sumner offered a final thought on Suki and other abused animals who are not as fortunate as she has been.

�Gandhi said, �The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.� How should we be judged, as long as we allow such abuse to take place?�

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Courier Herald - Feb 9, 2007

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