In Stuart, Florida, a West Palm Beach man was arrested on Friday facing charges of animal cruelty after allegedly leaving his German shepherd, Maverick tied to a barbed wire fence.
A passing motorist notified the Martin County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control after spotting the dog tied up at the intersection of Kanner Highway and Bridge Road and seemingly in distress. According to the office, when the officer arrived at the scene, Maverick was struggling to breathe, overheated and wore a muzzle on his snout. Because of the muzzle, the dog was not able to pant which is a dog’s built in cooling system.
It is not known how long Maverick had been left tied up. WpbfChannel25News reported Tabitha Queen, with the department’s animal control team, stated that the dog was quite skittish at first, but all that changed after he was safe and given water.
He was so relieved, so happy. And once we got him unmuzzled, you just saw him melt.
Tabitha Queen
Deputies were able to track down the dog’s owner – Yunio Lopez, 37, and he couldn’t explain why his dog was tied to a fence and abandoned.
Maverick has been taken to the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast where he will remain until the investigation is over. He is not available for adoption at this time.
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(Photos via screenshots from Martin County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control)
