Andre will hopefully recover, but he will never be the same.
The Miniature Pinscher puppy was found by rescuers – eyes gouged out, starved and with BB pellets lodged under his skin. The Phoenix New Times reports that Andre was found tied in a plastic bag and left to die. The dog’s eyes were so infected that the pus filling the sockets was draining out through his nose and down the front of his face.
Rescuer Susy Hopkins told the Phoenix Times that Andre was “severely dehydrated and looked like a skeleton” when she adopted him. “He’s been so neglected and abused,” she said. She noted that when Phoenix was found his eyeballs were literally hanging outside of his head.
A blood transfusion saved Andre’s life and his spirits appear to be on the mend as well. According to Hopkins, he loves to be petted and shows not only a surprising trust in humans, but a strong will to live.
Meanwhile, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is offering a $1,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators of this crime. “Animal abusers are cowards,” PETA director Martin Mersereau said in a statement. “They take their issues out on the most defenseless beings available to them.”
A fundraiser has been established for Andre, who is expected to need further surgery as he makes his way toward recovery.
Since the exact location of where Andre was found is unclear, police efforts to find his abusers have been stymied. They are asking that anyone with information contact the Phoenix Police Department at (602) 262-6151.
About the author: Allison Landa is a Berkeley, Calif.-based writer whose work has been featured in Salon Magazine, Clean Sheets, Word Riot, Cherry Bleeds and Defenestration. She has been a resident at The MacDowell Colony, Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts and The Julia and David White Artists’ Colony. She earned her MFA in creative writing at St. Mary’s College of California and blogs at The Volcano. She and her husband are owned by two Lab-Australian Shepherd puppies, Jack and Maizie.
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