TAMPA -- A dog that was nearly starved to death is getting a second chance at life. His name is Casper, which seems appropriate for a dog that's a mere ghost of what he should be. "He has pretty much no muscles left. He's just a rack of bones, and he's one of the worst dogs I've ever seen," said Dr. Isabelle Roese, head veterinarian of Hillsborough County Animal Services.
Roese says they think Casper is a boxer that should weigh 55 to 60 pounds. But right now he weighs less than half that. He also has terrible sores all over his body from a skin condition Dr. Roese says could have been easily treated before it got as bad as it did.
They're trying to limit how much they touch him because it's so painful for him. And while Casper seems to have a good appetite, it's too soon to know if his emaciated body is processing the food.
Animal abuse investigator Michele Perez says Casper could barely walk when they found him last Sunday, chained up in the backyard of a Carrollwood home. Perez said that, based on her 16 years of experience in the field, she believes Casper didn't have much time left.
"I believe it would have been just a few days and he would have been dead, if we had gotten there later."
34-year-old Wilmer Fernandez and 32-year-old Aixa Rodriguez are charged with animal cruelty and neglect. Bail was posted at $6500 each, and they bonded out.
Abuse investigator Perez says she can't get over his how she says they went about their daily lives with a dog in such bad shape right outside their patio door.
"When the family was sitting down at the dining room table to eat dinner, and if the vertical blinds weren't closed, Casper was in plain view, at all times," Perez said.
Perez is also upset that Casper was in full view of several neighbors with adjoining yards, yet no one ever called about him. A deputy working an unrelated case in the neighborhood spotted Casper and called Animal Services.
Thursday, Perez transported Casper and two of the other four dogs seized Sunday to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. Executive Director Sherry Silk said Casper will get intensive veterinary care, including a special diet and antibiotics for his skin. Once he's stabilized, they'll move him to longterm foster care.
While he's not out of the woods yet, they're all hoping Casper will eventually be well enough to be adopted.
"What I hope for Casper...is to end up in a good, loving home with people that will appreciate him for who he is. He has a right to a second chance," Perez said.
** Borrowed from http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=8004071&version=3&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1 **
Get better soon, Casper. xoxoxo. ~*~Mya~*~
2 comments:
Oh that is HORRIBLE!! That makes me so ANGRY. Poor Casper--thank goodness he was rescued. I pray he will make a full recovery. Grrrrr.
That just makes us cry. How can people be so cruel?? Poor Casper. I hope he makes it. Thank goodness for the people who are feeding him and loving him. I am praying so hard for that poor boy.
xo
Chef
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