The Niagara County Sheriff’s Department is searching for two people that dragged a 6-month-old puppy behind their car on Lake Avenue near Cold Springs Road on Saturday.
“It’s being actively investigated, big time,” said Capt. Kris Neubauer of the criminal division on Monday. “We’ve had tons of calls.”
According to a deputy’s report, Martin A. Clough of Gasport initially spotted the pure-bred cocker spaniel being pulled behind a Chevrolet Lumina at the K&K; Food Mart. Clough said the dog was tied to the back of the gray vehicle by a leash.
Clough ran at the car to get it to stop and a teenage girl driver and male passenger got out of the car. They opened the trunk of the car to release the leash, then got back into the car and fled on Old Niagara Road.
The dog, a small white and black cocker spaniel, was left in the back parking lot. It is still unclear if the couple were dragging the dog on purpose or if it was an accident.
Witness Mark Swartzwelder, observed a temporary tag taped to the back window of the gray vehicle and got the number, but not the state.
Clough put the dog in the back of his vehicle and called 911. Linda Tilton, the manager of K&K;, put the puppy in her vehicle and transported it to Wrights Corners Animal Care Center without waiting for the police.
Tilton was directed to the Greater Buffalo Veterinary Emergency Clinic in Amherst because no veterinarians were available. The dog was saved by Emergency Clinic personnel after two hours of surgery at a cost of $3,776. Even with a $576 discount, Tilton is looking at a $3,200 bill. She said she’s already paid $1,500 and more veterinarian bills are expected.
Tilton plans to adopt the dog and call it “Walker.”
“I had him outside, and it was trying to walk a few steps at a time,” said Gina Browning of the Erie County SPCA on Monday. “He had severe injuries to all four paws, with exposed bones. It’s difficult, but it enjoys being outside, out of the cage.”
As for what the occupants of the car were up to, Browning can’t say.
“Personally, I like to tell myself it was an accident,” she said. “If it was done on purpose, it’s discouraging, the most monstrous act I can imagine.”
Tilton, who took the dog to the vet, isn’t so sure.
“These people tortured this dog beyond belief. The road literally burned through muscles to bones. You could smell it. The pads on the bottom of the paws wore off,” she said. “I believe they did it intentionally. It’s so inhumane it breaks my heart.”
The Erie County SPCA has a specific fund set up to help defray expenses. People can donate by mail or online by going to “yourspca.org.” They can also donate by mail.
“We’d like to get her debt paid first,” Browning said of Tilton’s bills. “This is going to be an expensive process.”
Crime
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Paw pads burned to bone; cops search for dog dragger
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