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Abused dog to be checked by specialist
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
He has scars, but from his attitude no one would know that Bubbles had been in a fight recently.
The pit bull found Sunday with no tongue – and teeth that possibly had been filed down – was very friendly toward visitors Monday at Animal Charity.
Bubbles is receiving care there while awaiting a trip to a specialist in Akron to determine if his tongue had been cut out, as was initially believed Sunday, or if perhaps he was born without one.
Mary Louk, president of the board of Animal Charity, said Monday the decision to go to a specialist was made after “conflicting opinions” arose over why Bubbles does not have a tongue.
Louk said Animal Charity investigators were able to track down the owner of Bubbles and found out the owner is in the Mahoning County jail awaiting trial on cocaine-trafficking charges.
Louk said the owner told them someone else was supposed to take care of Bubbles while he is in jail. She said investigators will be looking for those people to see if they can find out if they are responsible for Bubbles’ injuries. The inmate has claimed Bubbles was healthy when he went to jail but that all has to be checked out, Louk said.
Monday’s examination also found the dog has heartworm and that cuts on his face were inflicted during a dogfight. It is believed that Bubbles was used as a “bait dog” for dogfighting, or a dog that handlers use to train other dogs how to fight, because of the suspected injuries to his tongue and teeth.
Louk said the heartworm treatment will be very expensive and risky for Bubbles because of how far advanced it is but the heartworm is treatable, she said.
The kind of foster home Bubbles will need is one that is a quiet, low-key environment, Louk said. Anyone interested can contact at Animal Charity at 330-788-1064.
Bubbles was found Sunday afternoon on a porch on the South Side after the homeowners called police because the dog had wandered onto their porch and they were concerned because of the cuts on his face.
Bubbles received plenty of attention Monday and was wagging his tail and sidling up to visitors who would pet him. Louk said community members have been very helpful both with donations of canned dog food and money, which will be used to pay for the trip to the specialist. Louk said she is not sure when that appointment will be but hoped it would be soon.