Hope Rescues in Godfrey is attempting to save a Pit bull dog they have appropriately named “Hope.”
The rescue occurred after someone contacted Alton Animal Control about an injured dog. Alton Police went to the scene Wednesday afternoon on Monroe Street in Alton to file an incident report. Kelo Woods of a Monroe Street in Alton is facing a charge of Aggravated Cruelty to Animals.
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Spiker said Hope Rescues have the animal in their care after surgery and she said “Hope” should be available for adoption in 30 days if all goes well.
“The dog was also tied to a tree and that is no life for a dog,” she said. “The police report said the only source of shelter was the plastic dog kennel. The report also says there was no food or water near the dog. That is not very humane.”
Spiker said the dog has hundreds of stitches layered in the neck because the gash was so deep. She adds that there was no excuse not to take the collar off the dog.
“Dr. Jun at Daniel Randall Veterinarian Clinic did the surgery on the dog,” Spiker said.
In an Alton Police report compiled by Officer Zachary Dellamano, the first part read: “A person had contacted authorities when they saw a young black and tan colored female pit bull of the address had an obvious neck laceration. She allowed the friendly dog to follow her home and she contacted the police about the matter after she observed a deep laceration of the neck. She reported it to Animal Control that the dog was tied to a small plastic tarp covered dog kennel and the dog had no food or water.”
“The wound was approximately one inch wide and it spanned several inches across the dog’s neck,” the woman said in the report.
The officer contacted Kelo Woods and showed him a photo of the dog and he admitted he was the dog’s owner, the report said.
The officer’s report continued: “I asked Woods about the injury to the dog’s neck and he stated he had fitted the dog with a red collar that was too small, which caused the laceration to the dog’s neck over time. Woods stated he had known about the injury for approximately two days and he had not taken the dog to see a veterinarian. Woods pointed to the aforementioned small plastic dog kennel, which he identified as the dog’s living space. Wood stated he has owned the dog since December, 2015, which was twelve weeks old at the time of purchase, making it approximately nine months old. I took Woods into custody and detained him in the rear of my police car.”
Other observations by the officer in the report were: “Upon closer inspection of the dog kennel, I observed no food or water in the immediate area… I observed a red canvass dog leash connected to a metal ground stake, located immediately next to the dog kennel. I observed what appeared to be a red dried blood like substance on the leash hook, in addition to matted black and tan hair. I cut the leash free from the metal ground stake and dog kennel. I tagged the leash as evidence…”
Spiker said those who wish to apply to adopt “Hope” can fill out the necessary forms on the web at www.hoperescues.com.
“’Hope’ is the epitome of what we do,” she said. “That is why we do this. We are not a shelter but an animal rescue group with a true mission to rescue dogs who would otherwise be euthanized if we don’t help them.”
For more information about adoption opportunities call (618) 797-1908 Like Hope Rescues on Facebook.
