JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — Arvada police are looking for a suspect connected to a dog with apparent stab wounds and burn marks.
In early September, the Arvada Police Department responded to the Majestic View Park for a loose dog with injuries. The responding officer found a pit bull-type dog, now named Iris, with several signs of abuse.
“She was, on arrival, noted to be pretty thin, pretty dehydrated, and obviously she had a fair number of wounds. She had some on her back and that pretty large burn on the left side of her face,” said Foothills Animal Shelter Veterinarian Dr. Andrea Palchak, DVM. “She was started on some pain medications, antibiotics. She was given fluids under the skin.”
Iris stayed at the shelter for about a month, undergoing surgery to help her burned face.
“Surgery was to apply something called a BioSIS … that’s made from pig small intestine that we bought that we sutured onto her face … so that her skin had something to grow on top of and could heal a little bit faster,” said Palchak. “She’s an angel. She didn’t seem bothered by it at all.”
Veterinarians estimated Iris to be about 5-6 years old. She has gained more than 20 pounds since officers first found her alone at the park. Although Iris can’t completely blink, she can still see out of her impacted eye and is expected to live a happy, healthy life.
“I just really fell for her. I knew she needed help, so she was always the first one I came and walked every time I came over here,” said shelter volunteer John Behnke. “It was shocking. Shocking to see how bad she looked.”
Iris found a forever in her foster family.
“She just needed to get out of the shelter, the shelter environment, she needed a good home,” said Behnke.
The cost of Iris’ care is estimated to be about $15,000. But, with the help of the community, the Foothills Animal Shelter was able to save Iris.
“Her injuries were severe enough that unfortunately, I think a lot of organizations and a lot of shelters in this country wouldn’t have been able to care for her and we’re really lucky because of community support that we could,” said Palchak.
To donate to the Foothills Animal Shelter ahead of Colorado Gives Day on Tuesday, and to help save animals just like Iris, click here.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
