Trooper Dog’s Ordeal
Trooper was found as a stray dog in the county area of Valencia County on June 4th. He had a deep gouge all around his neck that was actively bleeding where a too small collar or chain once had been, that severely injured the neck area.
His face was so swollen as well, either from the too tight collar or from the possible tying of the mouth shut when being used as a bait dog for dog fighting training. His ribs bulged through his body from lack of food and he was covered with ticks.
His condition was so severe but Patty Mugan of Valencia County Animal Control immediately recognized his sweet nature and fearless attitude. Patty was determined to find a rescue group that would save him and get him the medical attention he needed.
Patty called Jemez Valley Animal Amigos, a very small rescue group in the Jemez Valley because they have helped other abuse cases from Valencia County. With JVAA’s commitment to take on this dog, Patty could save him from immediate euthanasia.
Patty got him to Animal Amigos’s partner vet, Southwest Vet in Corrales for treatment. The vet shaved and cleaned out the deep gouge around his neck, picked off more ticks and got him on pain medication and antibiotics for the infection that was bound to take hold.
His badly swollen mouth would need time to heal and recede.
I picked up Trooper on Wed. to deliver him to a foster home in Santa Fe. Upon being greeted by Trooper at the vet, my hands were instantly bloodied just by grabbing his face to greet and love him.
Trooper is such a sweet boy and doesn’t act like he is hurting at all. It is amazing, but his lively spirit is still intact after all of that abuse!
Foster Mom Claire says he is such a happy boy; loves the female dogs at her house and just plays and plays with his toys. She is making him scrambled eggs and giving him soft canned dog food that he can manage to eat with his extremely sensitive mouth condition.
I contacted Animal Protection of NM to get media coverage for this horrible abuse case and got fast action by Heather Ferguson. By June 10th, we had KOAT-7 ready to do a story on him and wanted to do a live feed about him.
Wonderful foster mom Claire drove down with Trooper and met the news crew and Heather to get him some air time. His story was told and our group was referenced for anyone interested in adopting him. Within ten minutes of the first broadcast, we had three calls from folks wanting to adopt him. We have a very interested and potentially excellent home for him once he recovers sufficiently.
We were told that lots of folks called into the station offering donations to assist with his care. He has many follow up appointments still and will need to be neutered when healthy enough before we give him up for adoption.
He’s got a long way to go for all of his injuries to heal and to gain the approximately 20 pounds his body needs. But he is now safe and will recover and be a great loving pet to the right family.
Update June 15 2010
This horrible case of abuse was covered by Channel 7 news recently as we took this situation to Animal Protection of NM. A $5,000 reward is being offered by APNM to find out who did this to sweet boy Trooper.
Update July 1 2010
Trooper adopted! We are so pleased to report that the most wonderful family has adopted him, as a result of the TV coverage. The moment Trooper met Eric, it was instant love. Eric has experience in rehabilitating the abused as he adopted another dog used as “bait” in fighting dogs three years ago. His pit bull dog, Adonis is the calmest, most well adjusted, loved and secure dog! So we know that Trooper will come along just as well with Eric’s great care. Trooper’s injuries are mostly healed and he has gained almost 10 pounds. His badly swollen mouth, severely infected, now looks like a regular dog’s mussel. Eric reports that Trooper is a happy and frisky pup and is thriving in his new home. We have only received two donations for his vet expenses so far, so if you are able to donate for his care, please do.