Abandoned Dog Chews Off Leg to Free Herself from Chain

Courtney, as a beagle/pit bull mix is being called, is “doing great” after undergoing two surgeries after she chewed off part of her paw to free herself from a chain. (Photo via Hopeful Heart Rescue)

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A dog that chewed off part of her leg to free herself from a chain and was later abandoned behind a Walmart store in Roseville is recovering.

Melanie Wittner, the founder of the Hopeful Heart Rescue in Roseville, told The Detroit News she received an emergency call Sunday after employees found the distressed dog, a beagle/pit bull mix, with a cable wrapped around her body and “missing half of her foot.”

Wittner isn’t sure how long the dog had been injured – maybe four or five days. When she was found, the dog’s leg had begun to decay, The Macomb Daily reports.

The dog, which Wittner has named Courtney, was rushed to the Advanced Animal Hospital in Clinton Township. She underwent two surgeries, one to amputate a hind leg she had injured trying to free herself, and another to drain her stomach of bone shards she swallowed while chewing off her paw.

“That’s the lowest a human can be ... they don’t deserve to have another animal in their home.”

Wittner said she has witnessed all kinds of horrific abuse inflicted on helpless animals. While this isn’t the worst instance, “it’s right up there,” she said. “It’s pretty bad for a dog to be left alone and chew off her own foot.”

Courtney was probably an “outdoor dog” whose owners “probably just tied her up outside and forgot about her,” Wittner said.

On Thursday, Wittner said Courtney is “doing great.”

“She’s up and running around. She likes to take walks in the snow,” Wittner said. “She doesn’t even know (her leg) is gone.”

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As the dog recovers, her rescuer and police want to know what happened during the days leading up to the gruesome discovery behind the Walmart store, located at Gratiot Avenue and 12 Mile.

Surveillance video showed two men abandoning the injured dog on Sunday. Roseville Police Chief James Berlin said the video doesn’t provide many clues to the men’s identities, and it’s too fuzzy to make out a license plate number their vehicle, which is believed to be a Chrysler 200. Anyone who knows anything about the dog is asked to call the police department at (586) 447-4483.

“I hope that those people turn themselves in because they’re cowards. That’s the lowest a human can be ... they don’t deserve to have another animal in their home.”

The dog was friendly toward the two men, leading Wittner to think they may have been her owners.

“They were pretty confident about how they picked her up and set her down,” Wittner said. “.. In the video, she was looking for them. She was more loyal to them than they were to her.”

Once Courtney has fully recovered, she will be put up for adoption.

If you’d like to donate money for Courtney’s care and other animals rescued by the organization, click here.