Dogs Found With Muzzles Duct Taped In Separate Incidents
Two dogs have been found with their muzzles shut using duct tape in separate incidents reported from the U.S. The first incident was reported from South Carolina on April 4 while the second was reported earlier today from Long Island, New York.
According to PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals), the first incident was reported from Darlington, South Carolina, where the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office received an anonymous call on April 4 informing them about a black Great Dane that was found with its mouth and head wrapped in duct tape. The dog was found in a pitiable state and was terrified when officials approached it.
Owner wraps duct tape around dog’s head and muzzle before callously dumping the canine! https://t.co/xN6vnFY2Pt pic.twitter.com/nQ2uKA1jbr
— YouSign.org (@YouSignorg) April 9, 2016
Update – PETA offers $5K reward in case of dog found with duct tape on head, mouth https://t.co/iGOVuRYW1m pic.twitter.com/xfO3kHlCBL
— Cleveland 19 News (@cleveland19news) April 7, 2016
They were able to safely rescue the dog which was then taken to the Darlington County Animal Center where they named the dog Aurora. According to veterinarians who treated the dog, Aurora must have been left with her muzzle tied for at least a day and a half. The dog is now doing fine and is being treated for malnourishment, whipworms, heart worms, and a foot infection. The dog is expected to make a full recovery.
Meanwhile, officials are still investigating the case and are yet to find who are the people behind the heartless act. PETA has confirmed that they are offering a reward of $5,000 to anyone who could provide them with information that would lead to the arrest and conviction of the person or people behind this act. Darlington County Sheriff Wayne Byrd believes that the dog is either a stray or a neighborhood dog while adding that he could not think of any reason why someone would behave like this with the dog.
“It doesn’t make any sense at all. You know if someone didn’t want the dog, or they were tired of the dog, all they had to do was bring it to the pound and it be put up for adoption, or find a family member or neighbor who might want the dog. They had no reason to treat the animal the way this one was treated,” Byrd said.
Byrd added that all efforts are on to catch the people behind this reprehensible act and said that when caught, they would all be charged with animal cruelty and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to call the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office at 843-398-4501.
As for the second incident, this story comes from Suffolk County, New York, where a 2- or 3-year-old German Shepherd was found with its muzzle shut using duct tape. The dog was left stranded on the side of a highway before it was seen by passersby who reported the same to the Suffolk County SPCA. The dog was quickly tracked and rescued a few hours later.
“He’s the kind of dog who if he ran away on his own, he would walk right up to you. I can say whoever did this is a truly heartless individual,” Gross added.
Meanwhile, authorities at the Suffolk County SPCA have also announced a reward of $2,000 to anyone who can provide them with information that would lead to the arrest of the people behind this crime. Roy Gross went on to add that they are very serious about bringing the perpetrators to justice and taking them off the streets. He was of the opinion that “people who hurt animals like this hurt people.”
If you are a local resident, and know something about the incident, you can call the Suffolk SPCA at 631-382-7722.
[Image Via Darlington County Animal Shelter]
