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Four Dogs Found Tortured With Acid In The Last Month [Graphic]
Four dogs with injuries indicating that someone poured acid on them have been found in the Antelope Valley in the last month.
When rescuers found a golden retriever, who they named Fergus, suffering some severe chemical burns along his back, it may have seemed like a horrifying, yet isolated incident. The awful truth is that it isn't: three other dogs have been found in the last 30 days with similar burns, KTLA reports. A pit bull named Bella was found injured in Palmdale with chemicals burns along her back. Rescuers were also forced to euthanize the two other pit bulls—one found in Lancaster and the other in Rosamond—as their injuries were too severe. Additionally, San Bernardino Shelter in Devore had a pit bull come in on July 13, also suffering from possible burns.
Dr. Alan Schulman, who works at the Animal Medical Center of Southern California, told NBC LA that these incidents have happened before, and stressed the importance of finding those responsible and arresting them.
"You gotta be able to prosecute these people to the fullest extent of the law. There are enough sick deranged people that start doing these to animals and then graduate to doing it to people," Schulman said.
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Fergus was found by a bystander near a Lancaster Walmart, severely burned with what veterinarians believe may have been battery acid on his back. The bystander took Fergus to a shelter, and the friendly dog is now healing up at the West L.A. Medical Center.
Investigators don't necessarily think it's just one person who's responsible for all these attacks. Sgt. Rachel Montez-Kemp of L.A. County Animal Care and Control told KTLA, "I would be very shocked if it was just one person going to these different areas to find these dogs to pour something on them.
The department also said in a statement that the attacks could be gang-related, and that they're not "getting concrete information as to what happened to two of the four dogs, who were not strays."
Lancaster resident Jamie Miele told NBC L.A. that her dog also had some kind of acid poured on its back, but three years ago.
"It's the same area and it's the same shelter that keeps finding these dogs, " Miele said.
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