PLANTATION, Fla. – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is offering a $2,500 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for binding a dog's mouth shut, causing extensive injuries.
According to police, officers responded to the 7000 block of W. Sunrise Boulevard July 18, in reference to a loose dog with its muzzle bound.
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Police said officers were able to corner the dog, believed to be a pit bull mix, in a fenced-in yard.
The dog, dubbed Liberty by her rescuers, was taken to Coral Springs Animal Hospital for medical treatment. Medical staff determined that the dog suffered severe injuries to its jowls and tongue, which might be life threatening due to the potential of infection.
Police said the dog had a collar with tags, which led detectives to its owner.
The owner told detectives that her dog, Princess, ran away from home overnight on July 12. She posted ads on the Internet, but never located Princess.
Police said a tipster told detectives that she had seen a man, possibly in his 50s, abandon a dog matching the description of Princess near the Turnpike overpass on Sunrise Boulevard. He was seen driving away in an older-model black vehicle.
"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," PETA Senior Director Colleen O'Brien said. "PETA is urging anyone with information about this case to come forward now, before anyone else is hurt."
Police said the dog's mouth was tied shut for four to 14 days.
PETA urges pet owners to keep their animals indoors and never to leave them unattended outside.
The case is being investigated as an act of animal cruelty, which is a felony in the state of Florida and carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call Detective Robert Rettig at 954-797-2193 or Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.
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