SAGINAW, MI – A Saginaw dog is recovering after seemingly gnawing its own leg off to get caught on a steel rope.
Around noon on Monday, August 16, a person called 911 to report a pit bull who was tied up in a garden in the Parkwood neighborhood and appeared to be badly injured with a missing leg. Dispatchers then notified Saginaw County Animal Care and Control, asking officers to respond to the crime scene.
They arrived to find a white and brown pit bull in “a dangerous situation,” according to animal control director Bonnie Kanicki.
“They found a dog tangled in a plastic-coated wire rope, just like the one we found on the dog that was strangled in the park last week,” Kanicki said, referring to a dog that was found strangled Leash in a park on Rust Avenue between Ray Street and East Genesee Avenues on the afternoon of August 8th.
The cable was twisted around the dog, which was now missing its left hind leg. It was also near a pile of cut wood. Despite similar tethers used in two recent dog abuse cases, Kanicki said there was no evidence that the incidents were related.
“It seemed that the cut wood might have fallen on the dog,” said Kanicki. “It may have mutilated itself and took its own leg off to free it from the logs. The cable was twisted very tightly around his remaining leg and that would probably have been a problem if it hadn’t been for the caller [sought] the resources for the help. “
The dog had no food, water or shelter near where it was tied. The officers knocked on the door of the courtyard in which it was tied, but no one answered, Kanicki said.
The officers took the dog to a veterinary clinic for immediate medical attention. It has since moved to Animal Control, although at least one more surgery is likely in the future.
The dog is a female dog believed to be under 2 years of age. Kanicki described them as quite small, weighing between 45 and 50 pounds.
Even excluding the gruesome nature of the leg chewing, the dog had other health concerns.
“The poor thing, her ears were full of debris and she had a severe case of fleas,” added Kanicki. “We’re still trying to get the fleas off her.”
The officers are actively investigating the matter, with Kanicki adding that the dog belongs to someone, not a stray.
“We want nothing more than to find the person responsible for it and hold it accountable,” said Kanicki.
On the plus side, numerous people have come forward who have offered to groom the dog if its owner surrenders ownership, Kanicki said.
Anyone with information about the dog is urged to call Animal Control at 989-797-4500.
Continue reading:
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