Puppy found with ears cut off in disturbing case of animal cruelty
WARNING – DISTURBING CONTENT: A 10-week-old puppy has been rescued after he was found with both his ears cut off in an extreme case of animal cruelty.
The dog named Claude was seized by Baltimore City Animal Control in the US on Sunday evening.
An animal control officer responded to calls about two dogs tied to a tree and several puppies in an empty lot. He found out the puppies were for sale and one of them, Claude, was bleeding from the head.
Claude was delivered to the animal shelter and taken into the care of vets.
“It was clear that the inhumane and cruel removal of Claude’s ears was done using poor instruments (such as household objects), leaving him with tissue damage, pain and infection,” the shelter wrote on Facebook.
“In the arms of our staff, little Claude whimpers and cries. When he hears an interesting sound, he attempts to tilt his head and move what is left of his ears, but only finds himself in more pain. He’s only 10 weeks old, and just trying to do natural puppy behaviours but he can’t.”
The post included two photos of Claude – one showing the back of his head with both his ears removed and second with a bandage around his scalp to cover the wounds.
Claude received emergency surgery as soon as he was given to the shelter but unfortunately in removing the infected tissue he lost more of his ears.
The shelter said the hearts of its staff members are broken “seeing this beautiful little boy’s body mutilated” and contemplating “the horrors of the act”.
“Not only does ear cropping create unnecessary physical pain and discomfort for dogs, but it can also leave animals with lasting trauma,” the shelter wrote.
The post has been shared more than 2000 times with many putting their hands up to adopt Claude while others expressed sadness about his suffering.
“I have a special needs puggle and a stay at home member of our household,” one man wrote.
“We have an exorbitant amount of love and guidance to give to his little life!”
Another man wrote the “cruelty” of some people towards “innocent animals” “stuns” him.
“My heart is broken for this puppy,” he wrote.
The shelter hopes to find Claude a home and is currently raising money to provide the dog with ongoing medical care.
