$2,500 Reward Offered for Help in Nabbing Abuser Who Bound Dog’s Mouth Shut

PETA Seeks Information on Culprit Who Abused Pit Bull Mix and Abandoned Her on W. Sunrise Boulevard

For Immediate Release:
July 30, 2015

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

When Plantation police responded to a call about a stray dog on the morning of July 18, they made a heartbreaking discovery: The dog, a 2- to 3-year-old pit bull mix, was muzzled so tightly that a thick rubber band had cut through the flesh around her mouth down to the bone, leaving her with severe injuries to her jowls and tongue and extremely painful tissue damage that could have killed her had it become infected. Veterinarians estimate that the dog, named Liberty by her rescuers, may have been muzzled for as long as two weeks.

On July 17, an eyewitness reportedly saw a man driving a black car abandon a dog matching Liberty’s description near the Florida’s Turnpike overpass on W. Sunrise Boulevard. But law-enforcement officials have yet to make any arrests in connection with this case, prompting PETA to offer a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the crime.

“Someone in the Plantation area was cruel enough to strap this dog’s mouth shut and leave her for dead on the side of the road—and that person is dangerous,” says PETA Senior Director Colleen O’Brien. “PETA is urging anyone with information about this case to come forward now, before anyone else is hurt.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—is urging families to keep their animal companions safely indoors and never leave them unattended outdoors, where they may be stolen or hurt by cruel people. Dogs should always be accompanied in the yard and escorted on walks with a comfortable, secure harness and leash.

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to contact Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.