Park Rangers outside Kansas City, Missouri made a shocking and heartbreaking discovery at Longview Lake on Friday. A frightened, muddy-faced dog – named Vice by rescuers – was chained to a 12-inch by 12-inch concrete masonry and presumably drowned as the water rose. He is currently recovering at Great Plains SPCA in Independence, MO, where staff describe him as a “loving, fun dog.”
Rangers heard Deputy’s cry and began investigating the shores of Longview Lake. They discovered the dog standing in the muddy water, shivering from the cold, so they contacted Jackson County Animal Control. Officer Tonya Hampton, also an employee of the Great Plains SPCA, responded.
“I’m so sad for him,” Hampton said KMBC News 9. “Clearly this was done intentionally.”
Adding to this tragic mystery is the fact that Deputy seems to have been well taken care of. It was a healthy, neutered weight, and after a thorough bath, SPCA staff discovered a soft, shiny coat. The Lab/Shepherd mix is estimated to be between five and seven years old.
Once Vice realizes he is safe, his sweet, outgoing personality emerges. His new friends at SPCA felt he would have no trouble finding a new, loving home.
He will be available to meet potential adopters starting Wednesday!
Although investigators are relieved that he was rescued with the slightest physical and mental trauma, they are determined to find the person or persons responsible for putting the Deputy in danger. .
“They need to answer for their actions,” Hampton said. “It just makes you wonder what people are thinking, and what kind of person could do something like that.”
UPDATE:
Just two weeks ago, Vice was another unnamed abandoned dog. Someone chained him to a limestone block in the shallows of Kansas City Lake and let him die.
Today, he is the beloved, boisterous pet of John Pitburn, his new adoptive father.
A video posted by Kansas City Stars shows 7-year-old Shepherd-Lab Mix grinning from ear to ear and proudly posing for a photo next to Pitburn. Since being rescued, Vice has been vaccinated, dented several broken teeth and had several skin masses removed.
But his transformation is more than just a deep layer of skin. When Tonya Hampton, a Jackson County animal control officer who works at Great Plains SPCABefore the scene of himself being abandoned on April 28, Vice was extremely scared and avoided her touch. With just a little bit of human kindness, his tail began to wag and he soon ate the junk food from her hand.
Now this dream boy has a new life with a loving home, a kind owner and a dog sister! Pitburn told the Kansas City Star:
“I have a 16 year old lab, she will be 17 in October, and I was thinking about getting another dog, and this came up in the news. I thought, ‘That must be a sign.’ I’m a big dog lover, and I can’t believe someone would treat a dog that way. I just think I need to get him.”
After several visits to the Great Plains, playing and getting to know each other, Pitburn realized he was right – Vice was the right man for him.
Many others contacted the Great Plains SPCA to inquire about the Deputy, but staffers were so impressed with Pitburn’s commitment that he became the clear favorite to adopt him. He brought his dog, Sandy, to him on Thursday morning and the two took it immediately. On Thursday afternoon, Vice boarded Pitburn’s F-150 to return to his permanent home!
“This is what makes it worth it,” says Hampton. “That’s what we do here in the Great Plains. We have a lot of animals whose situations may not be as drastic as this. They were all looking for a home, and that’s exactly what we wanted to do for them.”
H/T to KMBC News 9
Featured images via Facebook / Great Plains SPCA
