Rock Hill puppy recovering after being mutilated, burned

A 3-month-old puppy is recovering, police say, after someone entered the yard of a Rock Hill home and mutilated and burned the dog’s genitals over the weekend.

The incident was reported Saturday night at a home on Gordon Road in Rock Hill, according to the York County Sheriff’s Office. Homeowner Tommy Dozier said the white and brown puppy named Farley is his daughter’s pet, but the dog is staying with him for now.

“Somebody is sick around here somewhere,” Dozier said Tuesday. “I don’t even see how that could cross somebody’s mind. If somebody’s doing cruelty to animals, the next time it could be a person.”

Dozier said he and his family had left their home Saturday and returned about 8:30 p.m. They put their four beagle-pit bull mix puppies in a kennel in their backyard, and Dozier said the puppies had somehow gotten out. Three of them were sitting in the yard when they returned home.

Dozier’s niece and sister-in-law soon came to the door holding Farley, who was “bleeding profusely” from his genital area.

“It was like somebody had cut him at the top of his sheath and had pulled him all the way out,” Dozier said. “I didn’t know what to think when I saw it. I was honestly in shock myself.”

They called the sheriff’s office, and deputies came and took pictures of the injuries, according to an incident report. It appeared the dog’s genitals had been cut, pulled out and then burned with an unknown object.

It’s not likely the puppy was involved in an accident or a fight with another animal, Dozier said, because the injuries were isolated to his genital area. Dozier, a former EMT, said he applied saline and cold compresses to the puppy’s injuries and gave him antibiotics and pain medication until they could get to the vet Monday.

“He’s doing great,” Dozier said Tuesday. “He’s really never been in too terrible pain. He’s still playing around and eating.”

The puppy spent only a few hours at the vet Monday and is recovering at home. No arrests have been made, but Dozier said investigators have been questioning neighbors since the incident was reported Saturday.

“These puppies are like kids; they can’t defend themselves,” he said. “I just hope they get whoever did this, because they don’t need to be running around in public.”

This story was originally published April 5, 2016 at 5:48 PM with the headline "Rock Hill puppy recovering after being mutilated, burned."