San Diego animal control officers are looking for the person, who savagely hacked off the ears of a Labrador/Shepherd puppy.
Veterinarians suspect the puppy’s ears were probably cut off a few days ago with either a pair of scissors or a serrated knife, said Animal Control Lt. Daniel DeSousa.
Patricia Garcia and her family found the puppy on Friday, as they left the Mission Valley Target. The family heard what sounded like whimpering coming from a nearby dumpster, upon further investigation the family found the one-month-old puppy.
The puppy looked like it was covered in something oily, Garcia said. She ran to her car to get some newspaper to put the puppy in and rushed him to the San Diego Department of Animal Services.
The puppy is will survive his ordeal, but animal control officers still want answers.
"We want to know who did this,” DeSousa said. "We want to know if there are any other puppies out there. If somebody could do this to a puppy and just dump it, they could easily do it to another puppy."
The penalty for felony animal cruelty is state prison and a $1000 fine.
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The department is asking for the public's help to identify whoever may have committed this crime. A local group is offering a $3000 reward for any information about the suspect.
The pup, now named "Sunny," is too young to be adopted, but the department hopes to find him a good home in a few weeks.
His medical care was covered by the department's "Spirit Fund," which helps the department care for animals with special medical needs. If you would like to donate to the fund, contact the Department of Animal Services.
