A couple from South Carolina tied their sick and starving Great Dane to a metal pole, leaving him no water or food, and the dog had to chew off his own leg to survive.
Skylar Craft and Jessica James are now facing charges of animal cruelty for what they have done to their dog. According to a report from Fox Carolina, the 6-year-old Great Dane was found by the police after they received a call from the neighbors about an extremely skinny looking dog with a missing back foot.
Great Dane was taken to a Noah's Arks Rescue shelter in Ridgeland for treatment, and they renamed him Luke. The shelter says that the dog was starved nearly to death and is currently in critical condition.
In their statement online, Noah's Arks Rescue wrote that Luke was so starved that he had to eat his own foot and it seems that the dog was in that condition for about two weeks. They also said that the dog has suffered from heart and intestinal issues, and the recovery process is arduous.
An officer from the Ware Shoals Police Department was saying in his incident report that when they approached the location, they noticed a very skinny dog near the fence who seemed to have a leg injury. As they got closer, they saw that over half of his back right leg was missing.
The charged couple were giving the police conflicting accounts of what has actually happened and why they did what they did, and how long the dog was actually tied to the pole. Owners claim that they tied the Great Dane to the pole because they wanted to jump the fence. They were also aware of the injuries and the fact that their animal was sick, but they couldn't afford to take him to the vet.
The couple also had two more dogs at the location, which are reportedly “fine” compared to Luke's condition.
“All of the pups we save are sad and desperate but his reaches down into your soul.”
In a series of blog posts on Noah's Arks Rescue website where they update on the condition of Luke, they said that his heart problems are due to starvation, where his heart and lungs have been compromised, with a infection of his right leg on top of that. The shelter workers said this is one of the saddest dog rescue cases they've had in a long time.
https://www.facebook.com/NoahsArksRescues/photos/a.139681359387106/2136109076410981/?type=3&theater
A series of other health problems and complications caused to postpone Luke's leg surgery, but the shelter says that while his condition is critical, the dog has a will to live.
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