*Content and images may be disturbing to some viewers*
This morning, Animal Control responded to a call from staff at Sweet and Associates who reported finding a small dog in the dumpster behind their building.
An employee had heard what she thought was a raccoon in the dumpster the night before, but it was dark and she wasn’t comfortable checking. This morning, staff was shocked to find a dog, and even more distressed by the condition he was in.
His entire head was wrapped in duct tape. His front legs and back legs were taped together as well, and there was tape wrapped around his tail. He also had food and other debris caked in his fur.
“I have never seen anything like it,” said Kevin W, one of the staff members who made the discovery.
The poor pup was rushed to NHS where staff sedated him and removed the tape and cleaned off the gunk – they had to shave him to remove all of the debris.
He has some mild skin irritation, but is otherwise healthy and seemed to be in good spirits despite his condition.
After the tape had been removed, he perked up and was wagging his tail as our team carefully assessed him.
Leo’s owner was reached through his microchip ID. As it turns out, she had reported him missing on April 11, after she believes he slipped out while she was taking her son to school.
“He’s the sweetest dog! I don’t know why anyone would do this,” said Erin, who was incredibly emotional upon learning what happened. She is going to be giving him a nice bath and taking him to his vet for a full check up.
The dumpsters behind the business are isolated and there are no cameras in the vicinity. Anyone with information on this case is urged to contact Animal Control at 402-444-7800 ext 1.
NHS is offering a $1000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
*About a half hour after Animal Control responded to the call, a trash truck drove up and emptied the dumpster. HUGE shoutout to Kevin W and Judy O of Sweet and Associates for saving Leo’s life!