Puppy found with ears mutiated with rubber bands
St. Petersburg, FL (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Jan 6, 2011
County: Pinellas
Disposition: Open
Case Images: 2 files available
Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!
With her large, chocolate-brown eyes and shivering body, three-month-old Nikki is the type of puppy you want to scoop up and protect.
Her trusting disposition is palpable.
But, behind those eyes is an existence filled with excruciating pain after the Boxer-Pit Bull mix's ears were bound with rubber bands.
Each ear was wrapped twice with a two-inch rubber band and left there for weeks in an effort to clip them.
"Usually why cropping of the ears, its seen as a way to make a dog look more threatening and menacing to people and in dog fighting," says Megan Trethewey of SPCA Tampa Bay.
St. Petersburg Police found Nikki on Thursday afternoon and got her to the SPCA quickly.
But, ultimately it was too late. Doctors had to amputate both of her ears during surgery Thursday afternoon.
Trethewey told 10 News Thursday night, "Nkki is doing great. She came out of the surgery well and even licked the doctor's nose."
So, who would do something like this?
Arron Watkins says Nikki was his puppy until a few weeks ago when someone stole her.
Arron says, "To steal someone's dog? You knew it wasn't yours, you knew it wasn't yours. To take somebody's dog, it's just upsetting man."
When a friend told him that Nikki was in a neighbor's yard, Arron found her and says he called police.
"Your dog's down the street, so I went down the street and looked over the fence... and seen the little puppy with it's ears all split open," Arron said.
But, the SPCA is suspicious and has opened an investigation. They say these wounds did not get like this overnight and that the mutilation has been ongoing.
Nikki will now get a new home.
However, it could be a few weeks until she is available. Nikki will have to undergo temperament testing as well as get back to health first.
The Humane Society of the United States is offering up to $2,500 for information leading to a conviction in the case. That ups the total reward to $3,700.
If you know who hurt Nikki or is hurting any other animals, please contact the SPCA Tampa Bay Animal Cruelty Investigations at 727-586-3591 x 135. Callers can remain anonymous.
You can also visit their website by « FL State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Pinellas County, FL
|
