Two South Carolina Teens Charged In Gruesome Torture, Shooting Of Six-Week-Old Puppy
Two South Carolina teenagers have been charged in the gruesome torture of a six-week-old puppy. Authorities say the juveniles shot the puppy with a BB gun 18 times and threw a knife at it.
As the Raleigh News & Observer reports, a utility worker was working at the Wildwood Spring Apartments in Rock City, South Carolina, on Sunday when he observed a group of youths — at least a dozen of them — playing with a black puppy. He thought nothing of it at the time, but when he went back to check on the puppy a few minutes later, he saw that it was bleeding heavily. He called the cops.
Warning: The remainder of this post contains content that may be disturbing to some readers.
When police spoke to the youth, according to a police report, they were eventually able to learn that someone who lives in the apartment complex had shot, stabbed, and tortured the puppy.
Police took the severely injured animal to a local veterinary hospital, where he was found with 18 pellets shot from a pellet gun lodged in his skin.
A puppy is recovering after he was shot 18 times with a BB gun in South Carolina. https://t.co/BDSKgKhaaC pic.twitter.com/InIxStVfbc
— 5NEWSONLINE (@5NEWS) February 23, 2016
The animal also had a number of intestinal parasites. Despite claims that the puppy had been stabbed, veterinarians did not find any evidence of stab wounds.
Staff at the veterinary clinic determined that the injured puppy is a six-week-old lab mix. They named him Brody.
Miraculously, Brody is on the mend and is expected to make a full recovery; the veterinarian in charge of Brody’s care calls the animal’s recovery “remarkable.”
According to the Rock Hill Herald, “hundreds” of people have applied to adopt the injured puppy. In a Facebook post, Ebenezer Animal Hospital, the veterinary clinic responsible for saving Brody’s life, reminded readers that there are other animals in shelters all over South Carolina, and elsewhere, looking for forever homes.
“Good morning! We want to thank everyone for their interest in Brody! He’s doing amazingly well and Project Safe Pet has already received hundreds of applications for adoption. As such, they will no longer be taking applications for this little man. Just like Brody, there are lots of other pets in need, so please visit petfinder.com or contact one of your local rescue groups to find a new companion for your family.
We will definitely provide updates on this little man throughout his stay at our hospital. Thanks again!”
Project Safe Pet, an animal welfare society that helps abused and neglected animals recover and transition into forever homes, has been raising money to cover the tortured puppy’s veterinary bills.
Meanwhile, police have arrested two teenagers in connection with the torture of the puppy. Captain Mark Bollinger of the Rock Hill Police Department said that two juveniles, ages 17 and 14, have been charged with cruelty to animals.
The older of the two has been identified as 17-year-old De’Monte Ty’Juan Douglas. He was taken to the Rock Hill Jail, where he remains held without bond.
Under South Carolina law, cruelty to animals is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Captain Bollinger says that the arrests conclude the investigation.
“We want to thank the public for all of their calls with information and concern and willingness to offer a reward in this case.”
[Image via Shutterstock/everydoghasastory]
