McKamey Animal Center asking for help in abused animal case

Dog had mouth taped shut and neck wrapped in twine, but is currently in foster care

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) — As anyone may well imagine, there is a zero-tolerance animal abuse policy at the McKamey Animal Center.

This can be seen in the case of one of the shelter’s most recent residents.

On January 31, the animal shelter received a phone call concerning an abused dog that had wandered onto a local’s porch.

The dog’s muzzle was strapped shut with electrical tape and her neck tightly wrapped in twine.

“We were able to pick her up [and] bring her here to McKamey Animal Center to be examined by one of our veterinarians,” said Inga Fricke, the shelter’s executive director. “Thankfully, she looked medically to [not] be too terribly harmed, but she was certainly psychologically traumatized.”

The McKamey team responded to the call and worked quickly to help the dog, now named Ms. Bright Eyes, and carefully removed her restraints.

“Our vets were able to safely get the tape off and now it’s just a matter of, hopefully, someone either recognizes the dog [or] knows more about it so we can just figure out why would someone do that and then hold them accountable,” said Mary Howard, the shelter’s director of animal services.

The animal shelter initially put out a $500 reward for anyone who could provide essential information about the dog’s abuse.

The reward has since ballooned to $2,500.

As for the rescued animal, she’s currently in stable condition.

“Right now she is in foster care in one of our loving foster homes getting a chance to decompress a bit, a warm bed, lots of wonderful food and lots of love,” Fricke said.

More information about adoption, fostering and donations can be found at the McKamey Animal Center’s website and social media pages.