SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Two dogs are being cared for at a South Florida animal hospital days after one of them was found starving and the other was found with stab wounds, triggering calls for justice for the people behind these acts of animal cruelty and neglect.
Video showed one of the dogs, named Jake, being treated at Knowles Snapper Creek Animal Hospital in Southwest Miami-Dade, as a veterinarian described how they are nursing him back to life.
“We were administering food through this port,” said the veterinarian.
Cindy Mucciaccio and Cheryl Marrone with iHeart Animal Rescue spoke to 7News about both canines on Sunday.
“We’ve been getting the most phone calls we’ve ever had in the last month,” said Mucciaccio.
Mucciaccio said Jake was found in Miami abused and deserted, left to starve.
“He’s probably the worst case I’ve ever seen. He doesn’t have a piece of meat on him,” she said, “and he is holding on to life, you know, kidney and liver failure.”
The second dog, named Justice by those who rushed to his aid, is also under the care of vets at Knowles Snapper Creek, days after he was found suffering from multiple stab wounds to the face, chest and torso in Pompano Beach.
Speaking with 7News on Saturday, the couple who found Justice, Oriana Daly and Jonathan Giraldo, said they cannot wrap their head around the abuse that the animal endured.
“It’s just disgusting,” said Daly.
“It’s really disturbing. I find it disgusting, to be honest,” said Giraldo.
Daly and Giraldo said they heard about the injured dog from a friend and refused to let him suffer.
“The dog was very friendly, no signs of aggression,” said Giraldo.
Daly and Giraldo cleaned his wounds, and with the help of iHeart Animal Rescue, he is now undergoing surgery.
“They’re going to be taking out his eye, an inoculation, and his scrotum was really bloody and raw,” said Mucciaccio. “Taking that off also, and fixing the wounds that he has.”
“I just don’t understand how somebody could have done this to an animal that kind,” said Giraldo.
Daly and Giraldo have filed a police report and are hoping someone knows who is responsible comes forward.
They named the dog Justice, and justice is what they want.
“Whoever did this — stab him in the chest, stab him in the head, trying to kill him — he had no way of defending himself,” said Daly.
“It’s sad, it’s pathetic, and it’s scary to know that a person could do this,” said Marrone, “and somebody out there has to recognize this animal.”
The treatment for Jake and Justice is very expensive. If you would like to help with their medical bills, contact iHeart Animal Rescue.
If you have any information on the person who abused Justice, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.