Dog in Need

A story like this makes me cringe, but at the same time warms my heart. Enjoy the story of Yugo found in yesterday's paper.

Pit bull mix found severely burned in E. Providence 1-27-09: Tatiana Pina


EAST PROVIDENCE -- In the end it was Yugo's wagging tail that saved him.

A woman found the American Bulldog-pit bull mix sitting on the side of the Henderson Expressway Tuesday near the on-ramp to Providence.

The brown and white dog's front legs were burned so severely he could barely stand. He had another burn on his right ear. The woman used her handkerchief to place under the 80-pound dog so she could lift him into her car because he couldn't move much. She brought him to East Providence Animal Control Center. Workers took him to to the East Bay Animal Hospital in Seekonk so veterinarians could treat him.
William Muggle, animal control supervisor at the East Providence Animal Control Center, said the burns were about two weeks old and so severe that veterinarians considered whether they should put the dog to sleep. But Yugo had a great disposition and wagged his tail a lot.

"The dog had a great disposition even with the severity of his wounds. I was picking him up to walk him up the stairs of the ER and he wagged his tail and he didn't growl. Had he been an iffy dog, there would have been a question about the amount of money that is needed" to heal him and then try to get him adopted, he said.
Workers at the animal control center named him Yugo, after the Yugo automobile built in Yugoslavia in the 1980's for his compact size.

Muggle said Yugo's care will cost in the hundreds. He said workers at the animal control center raised more than $100 for his care and so did some of the other animal advocacy agencies. The animal control center is looking for donations for Yugo's care.

The agency is also looking for any information about the possible owner of the dog. The owner did nothing about Yugo's wounds, Muggle said. He was also malnourished. When he came out of the anesthesia after the veterinarians treated his wounds, he ate two cans of dog food. He is about five years old.
Muggle said the veterinarian could not determine whether the burns came from a chemical or hot water, but it did not appear that the dog had stepped in the liquid because his paws were not burned.

Anyone who had information regarding the dog or wishes to make a donation should call the animal control center at 435-7675.
(Photo courtesy of East Providence Animal Control Center)