BANGOR, Maine — The Humane Society of the United States announced Monday that it is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of whoever was responsible for taping a pitbull puppy’s mouth shut, resulting in severe injuries and dehydration.
The 6-month-old puppy, named Blue, was found on Oct. 2 in the Viking Village condominium complex near Sunday River Ski Resort by Newry Animal Control Office Sue Milligan, who was called out to the complex to look into a report of an injured dog.
Blue was brought to the Bethel Animal Hospital, where the staff determined that his mouth was taped tightly shut. Blue was badly wounded and had surgery to remove significant amounts of dead tissue and suture one side of his mouth.
Authorities believe Blue likely was abandoned.
“Binding a puppy’s mouth shut and abandoning him with severe injuries is heartbreakingly cruel,” Katie Hansberry, Maine state director for HSUS, said. “Despite the appalling way in which he was treated, Blue is an incredibly loving pup and we hope our reward will help find the person or persons who committed this heinous crime.”
Added Mulligan, “I’ve never seen anything like this. The injuries to Blue’s face are horrific. Someone out there knows what happened, is suffering with the knowledge of what was done to this very friendly puppy and we hope they will come forward.”
The case remains under investigation by Milligan and Lt. Tom Harriman of the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call 357-6796 or 743-9554.
The HSUS Animal Cruelty Campaign raises public awareness and educates communities about the connection between animal cruelty and human violence while providing a variety of resources to law enforcement agencies, social work professionals, educators, legislators and families. The HSUS offers rewards in animal cruelty cases across the country and works to strengthen laws against animal cruelty.
The National Sheriffs’ Association and the national human society recently launched ICE BlackBox, a free smartphone tool, to allow users to record video of illegal animal cruelty and share it securely with law enforcement for possible investigation and prosecution.
The HSUS also recently doubled its standard cruelty reward from $2,500 to $5,000 thanks to a donation from an HSUS board member.