injury

Reward Offered After Pitbull's Leg Is Mutilated by Owners

A dog is recovering after he was discovered with a horrific injury: a hiking carabiner hooked straight through his hind leg.

Ziggs, a one-year-old pitbull, was discovered roaming through Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood Wednesday afternoon, dragging a severed leash behind him. That leash was attached to the carabiner, which Dr. Al Meilan at South Federal Animal Hospital said was forcibly and intentionally inserted into the dog's leg.

"The carabiner is a dull thing, so in order to get it, they had to use a drill or something sharp to make the hole first, and then stick the carabiner through his leg," Meilan said.

Members of the Forgotten Dog Rescue believe the dog's owners used the carabiner to restrain the dog.

"Someone actually went out of their way to do this to this dog," said Amy Blitz with the rescue group. "It ranks on the mutilation type of torture."

Meilan said it appears the ring had been lodged in Ziggs' leg for several months, with evidence of similar injuries in the past.

Forgotten Dog Rescue said they are offering a cash reward for any information that leads to the arrest of Ziggs' owner. The rescuers said they won't stop until there is justice for the injured dog.

"The person that did this, it's probably somebody that if they could do this to an animal, they could do it to a person or a child," Blitz said.

The animal hospital expects Ziggs to make a full recovery within two to three weeks. He will be made available for adoption once he heals.

Alex Muñoz with Miami-Dade Animal Services said the department is actively investigating the crime.

“All pets are very important to us and have a right to be treated with kindness and respect. Acts such as this cannot be tolerated,” said Muñoz. “We urge anyone with information to come forward to assist us in identifying the responsible party.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Animal Services Department Investigations Unit at (305) 418-7184. You can also leave an anonymous tip with the Forgotten Dog Rescue via email at forgottendogrescue@yahoo.com.

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