Mother, daughter who 'sawed off' hind legs of partially paralyzed dog arrested
ST. TAMMANY PARISH, LOUISIANA: A Louisiana woman, her teen daughter, and the daughter's friend have been arrested and charged after they "sawed off" the back legs of a partially paralyzed dachshund, as per the police.
The horrific incident came to light after deputies from the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office were alerted to the condition of the dog, named Buddy, and arrived at the trailer park where the mother and daughter lived to check on him and found that both of his rear legs were gone, according to WGNO.
When questioned, the woman, 50, claimed that Buddy had been shot this past February. She said the shooting left him paralyzed because they failed to get him medical treatment, and that his legs fell off because they had been bandaged too tightly.
However, that story fell apart when a veterinary orthopedic surgeon consulted by the sheriff's department ruled that Buddy's wounds had been "maliciously inflicted." The veterinarian also confirmed that the limbs had not been removed by a professional and that they most certainly had not just fallen off.
"As a dog owner myself, I was completely appalled when we received a complaint of such horrific animal cruelty in our community," said Sheriff Randy Smith. "Our investigators acted swiftly, and the parties responsible have been charged accordingly."
The 50-year-old woman was arrested and charged with cruelty to animals and later released on a summons. Her daughter was arrested and charged with aggravated cruelty to animals and booked into the Florida Parishes Juvenile Detention Center, while the teen's friend was arrested for animal cruelty and later released into the custody of a relative.
An online fundraiser set up to raise donations to cover Buddy's medical costs has raised over $14,000 at the time of writing. He is recovering well from his injuries and was described as being in "good spirits."
"We were all excited to see him up and eating," an update on his condition read. "His pain is being managed and the tissue on what is left of his legs now look healthy. He is having daily wound care and bandage changes which he is not too fond of but he is being a champ about it. He will undergo surgery in the next week or so to repair what was done and once he has put on some weight he will be fitted for his own set of wheels so he can get back to running around again."
Smith urged anyone with further information on the case or any other instance of animal cruelty to contact the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office at 985-898-2338 or St. Tammany Parish Animal Services at 985-809-0183.