Pug owner suing dog minder after discovering 15cm gash
WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT: A Sydney man is seeking $50,000 through public donations to bring a dog minder to justice after his pet pug was left with a "life threatening" gash on the back of his neck.
Jackson Millan left Otis and his pet boxer Dobby in the care of a man he found online prior to jetting off to Brazil for six weeks with his girlfriend.
After meeting him at the dog park and visitng his house, the northern beaches man said the dog minder ticked all the boxes.
Throughout the first two weeks, Mr Millan repeatedly asked the carer for updates and photographs but told 7 News Online he was “met with endless excuses”.
When he finally received an image of Otis, he immediately knew something wasn’t right.
"He eventually sent through some low quality photos from a really high angle so you couldn't see under Otis' harness," Mr Millan told 7 News Online.
While the full extent of his injuries weren’t visible, the 28-year-old said he noticed “his harness and had gross stains around it as if it had never been taken off”.
When Otis was finally taken to a vet, a 15 centimetre gash was discovered across his neck as a result of friction from the harness being left on for more than three weeks.
“My vet said the infection was so bad you could smell it from metres away and he could not even comprehend how something like this could be allowed to happen,” Mr Millan said.
“Imagine the pain he has experienced from weeks of rubbing to make a wound this horrible.
"I was told all their belongings and bed wreaked of death."
Not planning to return Australia until August 15, Mr Millan said he started a GoFundMe page with one goal in mind – bringing the dog minder “to justice”.
“The fact that I was more capable from 13,000kms away to see my dog was not right and this monster was oblivious to the point that my dog could still die from infection.
“We are using this GoFundMe as a way to raise funds to pursue legal action against the perpetrator of this vicious crime against my poor dog.
The pair are now back with Mr Millan’s mother, however Otis is not in the clear yet.
“The wound still cannot be closed and he needs daily care and vet visits to ensure the infection is managed," he added.
"He will very likely need surgery once the wound is clean and will have a long recovery due to the extend of the injury."
