Choppa, a 4-year-old pit bull, was very first found missing out on July 27 by his owner’s friend, who had actually been enjoying after the dog at her home in Apex. A couple of hours later on, a next-door neighbor called Wake County Animal Services, who discovered him a couple of blocks away, near Craig Drive and Stephenson Road in Apex with chemical burns over 60 percent of his body.
“How could any person simply (burn an animal) and stand there and take a look at it? It’s inhumane,” said Sara Horton, whose granddaughter Shantika owned Choppa. Horton explained the dog as sweet and good with individuals.
“He was an extremely caring dog; he was really spirited,” she said. “And he had by doing this where, when he would come near you and he would put his little paw up for a handshake. Shantika taught him that.”
Dr. Jennifer Federico, Wake County’s Animal Services director, called it an abnormally bad case of abuse.
“All 4 legs were burned, the side of his face, his ears. So he had a great deal of damage done to him,” she said.
Federico said Choppa was required to their emergency situation center, prior to they made the hard choice to put him down due to the seriousness of his discomfort and injuries. She said her workplace called the Wake County Sheriff’s Office to examine possible animal cruelty.
Now, Horton is cautioning other animal owners to remain watchful.
“It might occur to any family,” she said. “Everybody’s got an animal, everyone enjoys their animal. And they would not desire something like this to occur to their animals.”
Wake County Sheriff’s Office said the main focus today is piecing together what occurred in between when Choppa was last seen, and when the phone idea to Animal Services was put. Both companies are asking anybody with details to come forward.
