Reward offered for sick abuser who bound dog’s mouth, abandoned it to starve to death

On Christmas Eve, a small dog was found abandoned on a Toronto street with his mouth bound shut with an elastic band.

The apricot-coloured poodle–now called Frankie–is thought to be 1 to 2 years old. And look at his face. Those eyes show deep pools of distress.

When the dog was found, there was an elastic band around his nose. The band had cut deeply into the dog’s muzzle around his flesh. As a result of not being able to eat, Frankie was very thin as a result of chronic malnutrition

The elastic had caused severe injury to Frankie’s nose and to the tissue inside his mouth. The Good Samaritan took Frankie to a Veterinary Emergency Clinic in the area and Toronto Animal Services has taken responsibility for him.

He was treated for a few days at the Veterinary Clinic and is now continuing his recovery in a foster home. He will likely require surgery to fix the tissue around his muzzle, but he is otherwise recovering and eating well.

Despite the horrible abuse that Frankie has sustained, he is a happy, pleasant, trusting dog … heartbreakingly typical of dogs in his situation.

PETA is now offering a $5,000 reward for the identification of the person who abused Frankie and abandoned him.

This is a departure from our usual kind of post, but “Frankie” needs your help. Frankie is an apricot poodle, male, 1-2 years old and small, about 7 lbs. He was found at Rouge River Dr. and Jaguar St. by a Good Samaritan on Christmas Eve. He was outside, by himself, with an elastic band around his nose. Frankie was obviously distressed and very thin due to chronic malnutrition. The elastic had caused severe injury to Frankie’s nose, nose and to the tissue inside his mouth. The Good Samaritan took Frankie to a Veterinary Emergency Clinic in the area and Toronto Animal Services has taken responsibility for him. He was treated for a few days at the Veterinary Clinic and is now continuing his recovery in a foster home. He will likely require surgery to fix the tissue around his muzzle, but he is otherwise recovering and eating well. Despite the horrible abuse that Frankie has sustained, he presents as a happy, pleasant, trusting dog … heartbreakingly typical of dogs in his situation. Toronto Animal Services is asking anyone with information about this case to call 416-338-7297. Please call if you know anything about Frankie. Our donations fund is used to help dogs like Frankie. If you’d like to donate towards Frankie’s care, please visit toronto.ca/helptheanimals.

A photo posted by Toronto Animal Services (@toanimalservices) on Jan 5, 2017 at 2:01pm PST