Elliot was found at the intersection of Wildwood and Ralston roads. He later died of his injuries. PCACC photo

Pinal County Animal Care and Control is asking for the public’s help on identifying a dog found Sept. 22 in an unincorporated section of Maricopa.

Elliot, the name given to the dog by workers at the shelter, was a 3-year-old blue nose pit bull/mastiff mix found off the road at the intersection of Wildwood and Ralston Roads. The dog was covered head to tail with scars both old and new. Staff suspect Elliot was used as a bait dog or in a dog fighting ring.

When Elliot was found by an Animal Care and Control officer, both legs were deformed and he was emaciated to the point he could hardly move.

The staff at Animal Care and Control tried to nurse Elliot back to health for five days until a New Hope rescue partner took the dog for further care.

“His diagnosis was worse than we could imagine,” said Animal Care and Control Director Audra Michael. “He had tick fever, valley fever, was in kidney failure, both front legs had been broken and never fixed so they healed wrong. To top it all off, his tongue was mutilated which is why he could not eat or drink anything. We were all very heartbroken at the news we had hoped we could help him pull through.”

Elliot died of his injuries on Thursday night.

“We are all devastated and angry that this poor boy had such a horrible life” Michael said. “The staff is glad that we were able to show him love even if it was for a few days. Pinal County Animal Care and Control is asking if anyone may know anything about this dog, or are aware of any criminal activity that may be going on in the area. We are looking for valid information on who the owner of the dog is [to] conduct a thorough investigation to understand what happened here and how we might stop this from happening again.”

To reach Animal Care and Control by phone please call 888-431-1311, 520-509-3555 or by cell (inside Pinal County only) at 3-1-1.

Visit the website at https://goo.gl/G9iYUg or Facebook @pinalcountyanimalcontrol.

1 COMMENT

  1. This dog suffered through most of his life. Chances are, there are others out there now in the same situation. I really hope they catch whoever is responsible for torturing these dogs. I have no doubt they would do the same to a person.