Orange County Animal Shelter asking for help in dog abuse case

ORANGE COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) - The Orange County Animal Shelter is asking for help in a case of animal abuse, the severity of which the shelter has not seen in a long time.

A dog, Wyatt, was found in the Barboursville area two weeks ago, underweight and in pain.

“[The dog] was on somebody’s front porch. They didn’t have any idea where it came from,” Sergeant Bryan McFarlane with Orange County Animal Control said Tuesday, May 2.

Sgt. McFarlane was the one who got the call and took Wyatt to the emergency vet.

“You can see his face was really swelled up, and you could obviously see the scar and the bloody wound around his muzzle,” he said. “They did their assessment of him and it had cut his lower cheeks, lips, basically to the gums. And he had broken teeth, so somebody had done it at least twice.”

Wyatt is recovering at the Orange County Animal Shelter.

“We do see neglect, we do see cruelty, but not really to this level a lot,” Director Gina Jenkins said.

“You don’t usually see where somebody intentionally really meant to wire this dog’s mouth shut,” McFarlane said. “That’s just intentional. I mean, that’s stupid, just you don’t usually see that kind of cruelty.”

That kind of cruelty can come with jail time.

“If I can prove a person actually did this, it’s a felony, class-six felony for animal abuse, cruelty,” McFarlane said.

Wyatt needs X-rays and dental work to fix his shattered teeth.

“[Wyatt] is also being treated for Demodex mange. So he was on antibiotics, he was on anti-inflammatories and pain meds,” Jenkins said. “He’s getting bathed twice a week with a medicated bath right now.”

Jenkins says Wyatt has gained some weight back, and his puppy-like energy is coming out.

“He’s sweet, he’s lovable, he’s goofy. He loves to play with us, with toys. He seems good with other dogs. He’s not a huge fan of cats, so we’re going to steer clear that,” she said.

The shelter is asking for donations to help cover the care Wyatt needs. It estimates the cost will be around $2,000.

“He deserves another chance, and he deserves to find his happy ending,” Jenkins said.

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