A dog who was found severely beaten and abused was likely the victim of a gang initiation rescuers say.
The young Pit Bull was found tied to a fence with electrical cord in an alley in Los Angeles, suffering horrific injuries. Rescuers at the Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation were called to pick up the dog after she was found.
The director, Ellie Roberto, told WJLA that, “She had clearly been beaten and spray painted and had a lot of injuries.” She added that another dog was found next to her, but not found alive.
Named Avery, the dog was rushed to hospital, where she began to have seizures, a result of not only the trauma to her head but also from having electrical cord wrapped around her neck.
Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation
“Her main problem was head trauma from the beating, lack of oxygen to brain, which was from the strangulation,” Brian McGrath, the veterinarian who treated her, told WSIS News.
This caused several troubling symptoms. “She had three really bad seizures, one lasting for over five minutes. Was discharging from the mouth, threw up pools of blood, but thankfully made it,” The Animal Hope & Wellness Foundation wrote on Facebook.
Fortunately McGrath was able to reduce Avery’s brain swelling and stop her seizures. But she also has injuries to her paws, burns to her eyes and mange and malnourishment to deal with.
Despite all her trauma, Avery has remarkably pulled through. “Wounded – but still amazingly compassionate,” Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation said of Avery.
Despite all her trauma, Avery has remarkably pulled through. The LAPD Animal Cruelty unit is now investigating and hopefully will get some leads as to whomever is responsible for this crime.
“To know a person could do that to an animal is obviously disheartening to the entire human race,’ said Marc Ching, founder of the Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation.
In the meantime, Avery will be kept under the watchful eyes of her rescuers with the hopes she will recover fully and be put up for adoption.
Pupdate on Avery:
Terence Rotolo shared a wonderful update with everyone on Avery’s recovery and commented on Facebook:
“For all those wondering, Avery, after being returned to the rescue by her 1st foster-to-adopt, was fostered then by me for quite a few months. She and a neighbor’s dog got to be fast friends and she learned to trust, play, and be a dog again. Finally she was adopted by a big family from Wisconsin who all drove for 5 days to come see her. Avery and their youngest daughter bonded almost immediately, and now she’s living in a big home with a forest right outside where she chases squirrels every morning… Avery hit the lottery; she has the happily-ever-after she’s earned…”
Further information on The Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation can be found on their website.
Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links.