Puppy's ears sawed off, mutilated Old Fort, NC (US) Incident Date: Monday, Apr 30, 2007 County: McDowell Local Map: available Disposition: Open Case Images: 1 files available Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!

Case ID: 11511 Classification: Mutilation/Torture Animal: dog (pit-bull) View more cases in NC (US) Animal was offleash or loose Reward: $400 Login to Watch this Case

To see Marley, one would never know the torture she endured. One would never know she nearly bled to death in a stranger�s yard. One would never know she used to scream out in her sleep. One would never know someone glued Popsicle sticks to either side of both ears, tied the ends of the wood together and sawed off the flesh.

That was two weeks ago. Today, Marley is nearly a normal pup, a 4-month-old, 20-pound white and tan pit bull mix that likes to play and be loved. Her ears look a little odd, but her personality makes up for that.

The nightmares are subsiding for Marley but just beginning for the officers who want to put the cruelty suspects behind bars.

McDowell County Animal Control Sgt. Brian Walker said he received a call on April 30 from the Sheriff�s Office. A lady living on Bull Walker Road off Pine Cove Road in Old Fort told deputies she came home around 4:30 p.m. that day and found a puppy bleeding to death in her yard.

"When we got there, (Animal Control Cpl. Frank Holder) found the dog," said Walker. "The puppy was limp, on the verge of death."

The sergeant estimated that someone cropped Marley�s ears about two hours before the homeowner found her. She had lost a lot of blood.

"This was a thought-out process," he stated. "They did all this while the puppy was still alive, awake and conscious and then turned her loose."

He said the dog would have been screaming throughout the ordeal, so it�s likely someone on Bull Walker Road saw or heard something.

"We know it happened in that area because, due to the condition the dog was in, she couldn�t have traveled miles," said Walker. "At most, she traveled several hundred feet."

The Animal Control officers took Marley to the Animal Hospital of Marion, where Veterinarian John Owens performed corrective surgery and made the dog well again. Today, she is in foster care, and, after the cruelty case is settled, according to Walker, will be adopted out.

The MERCY Fund has raised $400 to put toward a reward for the arrest and conviction of the suspects, and donations are still being accepted to add to that amount.

In addition, anyone with information can also call McDowell County Crimestoppers, where a caller�s identity remains anonymous, and he could receive a separate cash reward.

"We�re not going to let this fall by the wayside," the sergeant stated. "Something needs to be done. � It�s just unacceptable. I also hope this will be a message to anyone who wants to crop their dogs ears themselves."

He added that the culprits in the case could face four to six charges per ear because each is being treated as a separate incident.

"Whoever did it could have stopped after the first, but they chose not to," he said.

Anyone with information about the crime or the culprits is asked to call Animal Control at 828/652-6643 or McDowell County Crimestoppers at 65-CRIME.

If you have information on this case, please contact:
McDowell County Crimestoppers
828/652-6643

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References

McDowell News - May 15, 2007

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