Over two days two dogs were found after suffering horrible abuse or neglect at the hands of their owners. Their fates were very different.
On Feb. 4 a pit bull was found running loose in McGonigle Park in the West End, near McKees Rocks. He was brought to the Humane Animal Rescue shelter in Homewood by City of Pittsburgh Animal Care & Control officers.
In a photograph that is too graphic to publish here, the dog’s soft, sad eyes look directly into the lens of a camera. His nose, muzzle and most of the tissue on the front of his face is gone, leaving raw, red tissue and exposed bones and teeth. These are the kinds of injuries seen on dogs used in dog fighting.
When the dog was brought to the Pittsburgh shelter, the staff was “amazed at his happy demeanor when he walked in on his own to see the medical staff,” said Dan Rossi, chief executive officer at Humane Animal Rescue.
Reports on the shelter’s social media accounts about the dog they named Bruce touched the hearts of dog lovers, who contributed or pledged $7,200 to save him.
Shelter staff stabilized him, cleaned him up and sent him to Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center in Ohio Township, where the staff said he was “severely undernourished and emaciated with extensive bite wounds and facial and skull damage that was thought to be several weeks old,” Mr. Rossi said. PVSEC staff “administered fluids, antibiotics and pain medication to keep him comfortable and stable overnight.”
The next morning, Feb. 5, PVSEC surgeons “put Bruce under anesthesia ... to explore his wounds and remove dead tissue. ... [They] determined that the majority of Bruce’s upper jaw, two-thirds of his nasal cavity, his right ear canal and his right eye would need to be removed.”
Surgeons said Bruce probably would not survive multiple surgeries and “would have a very poor quality of life if he did survive,” Mr. Rossi reported in a news release that was also posted on social media.
After conferring with surgeons, shelter officials decided that Bruce should be humanely euthanized. The veterinary bill was $2,000.
Humane Animal Rescue has been criticized for not saving Bruce. Others have faulted the shelter for not ending the dog’s suffering sooner. Mr. Rossi said it was a difficult decision and traumatic for everyone who met Bruce.
“We have needed to bring in counselors to help the staff that witnessed his condition,” he said. “It is highly emotional for everyone.”
An investigation by HAR’s Humane Investigations Department has included sending the dog’s body to Ohio State University for “a full autopsy so that we have proof of what Bruce has been through,” Mr. Rossi said.
“The results show that he had more than 75 puncture wounds” and many wounds and scars, both old and new, as well as an old break in a leg bone.
“His abuse was long-endured,” Mr. Rossi said.
Part of the donated money — $5,000 — has been put up as a reward for information leading to a conviction of those responsible. Mr. Rossi asks people who know what happened to contact the shelter at investigations@HumaneAnimalResue.org or 412-345-7300 ext. 245.
The other dog, who was found one day later in Beaver County, was abandoned in a wooded area of Center Township. The Yorkshire terrier was taken to the Beaver County Humane Society, where he was sedated for two hours so that his severely matted fur could be shaved off. That’s when staff discovered that his left rear foot was detached, held on mainly by his matted fur.
“We believe the matted fur cut off the blood supply to the foot,” said Susan Salyards, the shelter’s executive director. “It would have taken months for this poor soul to have become this matted. It is heartbreaking for all of our staff to see such a sad case.”
The Beaver County Humane Society is seeking information about the person or persons who neglected and abandoned the Yorkie, who they have not named yet. Call 412-775-5801 and press 5 to speak to a humane officer.
The dog is recovering in a foster home. Updates will be posted on the shelter’s Facebook page. The shelter is seeking donations to help with his veterinary bills, especially because in recent months they have had a rash of abandoned animals with medical issues and injuries, including two Chihuahuas, a cat with a lacerated neck, and an elderly basset hound with sight and hearing loss.
The shelter also had severe water damage when a fire sprinkler froze during extremely cold temperatures. The shelter was flooded, but no animals were harmed.
Linda Wilson Fuoco: lfuoco@post-gazette.com or 412-263-3064.
First Published: February 15, 2019, 1:00 p.m.
