Nothing can make up for the horrible crimes that Carl K. Pritchard inflicted on this helpless dog but the 59-year-old did get arrested in New York. According to veterinarians, he is responsible for the terrible cruelty to his dog that resulted in her chewing off her own leg after being left to starve to death.
The horrible condition of the dog was brought to light after a concerned UPS driver reported that a German shepherd was living outside in a hay lined plastic crate with no access to food or water. The investigating authorities took the animal for emergency veterinary care before she was transferred into the care of the Susquehanna SPCA, WWLP reported.
According to state police, Pritchard is being charged with “torturing and injuring animals, failure to provide proper sustenance (misdemeanor) and violation failure to provide appropriate shelter for dogs left outdoors.” We can only hope that he is severely punished for his actions and doesn’t slip through the system as so many other animal abusers have.
According to WGNTV, the sweet German shepherd named Zoe was chained to her crate during freezing temperatures. The hero UPS driver told 911 operators that it looked like her leg had been “blown off.” However according to her veterinarians, fragments of her missing leg were found in her stomach indicating that she had actually chewed her leg off in attempt to escape the living hell Pritchard put her through.
So that the public could learn more about Zoe and follow her story, the Susquehanna SPCA, has been publishing updates about her condition to social media. Originally, they posted that the “injured dog was transferred to Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine for additional treatment, including proper amputation of the limb.”
After examination at Cornell, it was also believed that Zoe had an untreated cancerous tumor on her shoulder but thankfully after a biopsy, it proved to be a serious yet benign tumor. Zoe is also anemic and has a heart murmur so vets were worried that she would not survive the immediate removal of her leg and the tumor. However, due to the serious nature of her condition, they decided to go forward with the risky procedures.
According to a follow up post by the SPCA, "The bad news is this mass must be removed for her to survive and the surgeons describe the procedure scheduled for tomorrow to be palliative and dangerous. Her age, heart murmur and anemia are all very serious issues to be managed.”
The concerned public has been following Zoe’s story closely and were elated to learn that she survived her procedure, the update said, "Surgeons say they believe they were able to fully remove the mass and successfully amputate her leg. The next 24 hours are critical as she will be monitored coming out of anesthesia and is at risk for bleeding. The goal is for her to leave the hospital on Friday or Saturday."
We are so thankful to the UPS driver who took notice of Zoe and saved her from certain death. A man claiming to be the driver wrote on Facebook, "Seeing this dog... was absolutely heartbreaking and disturbing beyond all means," he wrote in a Facebook comment earlier this week, adding: "I wish I could have saved her sooner."
Our hearts and prayers are with Zoe. We can only hope that after she recovers, she finds a loving forever home and that her previous owner is prosecuted for his heinous crimes against this poor, sweet baby.
Let’s show Zoe and all the other victims of animal abuse support - please share this story with your family and friends.
Beverly Dixon says
I hope this 59 yo Pritchard gets a stiff sentence for cruelty to zoe!!!! Better yet let him suffer the same cruelty to Zoe, put him a small crate no food or water on a shot chain around his neck..There is no excuse on this earth for what THIS POSITION did to zoe..