Money pours in for reward in dog abuse case
Donations are pouring in to care for a small dog who was severely beaten and tossed in the trash in Long Beach, with a reward in the case ballooning to $12,000.
The Maltese-poodle-terrier mix named Chloe is recovering after a passerby found the 1-year-old pup whimpering in a trash bin over the weekend. Veterinarians determined that she had a fractured skull, brain swelling, a hind leg that had been broken in half and several broken ribs.
Two rescue organizations — Fix Long Beach and Sparky and the Gang — initially gathered $1,000 for a reward for information leading to the arrest of Chloe’s abuser or abusers.
On Wednesday, the amount had jumped twelvefold with $1,000 in new donations and a $10,000 contribution from a local pet food company.
Shawn Buckley, founder of Los Alamitos-based Just Food For Dogs, makes regular donations to shelters and veterinary hospitals but was especially distraught over Chloe’s case, company spokesman Frank Groff said.
“The horrific nature of this particular case caused a huge emotional reaction by him, and he immediately went into action,” Groff said.
In addition to the reward, the company has pledged to help pay Chloe’s medical bills, which could run as much as $12,000, her caregivers say.
When the pup was found Saturday, her matted hair was covered with bits of rancid onions, spaghetti and ham. The side of her head was severely bruised and she had been doused with human urine.
Diana Kliche, an attorney and volunteer with Fix Long Beach who has taken primary responsibility for the pup, said she thinks someone beat the small dog, tossed her in their kitchen trash can and then threw the bag in a bin behind apartments near the 1000 block of Walnut Avenue, a residential area.
Someone in that neighborhood must have seen the pup before, Kliche said.
“Someone knows who did this, and it’s scary this person is still out there. They could be your neighbor, your co-worker. What’s going to set them off next time?”
Veterinarians are waiting for Chloe’s brain swelling to decrease and for her to be strong enough for surgery to either set or amputate her broken leg.
Anyone with information can call Long Beach Animal Care Services at (562) 5707387.