An 8-month-old puppy is facing multiple surgeries after Laurens County animal control officers found her wandering the streets with a collar so tight it had grown into the flesh of her neck. Shelter staff trapped the dog Friday, and now they want to know who let this happen.
The puppy had reportedly been seen near Taylor Street and Calhoun Street in the Joanna community, according to officials cited by WYFF News 4. Animal-control officers with the Laurens County Sheriff's Animal Shelter said the dog had a collar that was severely embedded into her neck, as reported by WSPA. She was also found covered in fleas and suffering from significant hair loss, per the same report.
Shelter officials say the dog will need multiple surgeries to heal the wound left behind by the collar. The station notes that the Laurens County Sheriff's Animal Shelter has put out a direct appeal to the public, asking anyone with information to come forward. We are asking our community to speak up and help us find out what happened to her, officials said.
Shelter Pleads for Tips and for Silence to Break
Officials framed the case as more than just one injured animal. Animal neglect is not acceptable. Allowing an animal to suffer like this is not acceptable. And staying silent when you know something is not acceptable, the shelter said, according to WYFF News 4. The shelter said it will continue to advocate for animals who cannot speak for themselves.
Anonymous tips can be reported to the Laurens County Animal Control Shelter at 864-682-4935 or to Laurens County Dispatch at 864-984-2523, per the station's report. Officials have not said whether a suspect has been identified in connection with the case.
How to Help With the Puppy's Recovery
Donations toward the dog's care can be made directly to Clinton Animal Hospital, either in person or by phone at 864-833-2487, the same account notes. No information has been released on the total anticipated cost of her treatment or whether surgeries have begun.
This is not the first time Laurens County's animal-control system has been stretched by cruelty cases. The Laurens County Sheriff's Office Animal Control previously responded to four multi-animal cruelty cases over an eight-day span, according to golaurens.com. The shelter was already beyond capacity before those four incidents, with Anderson County PAWS stepping in to help, the outlet reported. Officials temporarily dropped adoption fees to $5, with each adoption including microchipping, vaccinations, preventative treatments, and spay or neuter services.
A Painful Pattern Beyond Laurens County
Embedded-collar cases aren't unique to this county. In South Carolina in 2021, a $1,000 reward was offered after a three-year-old dog staffers named Rocky was brought to a shelter with a choke chain embedded at least an inch into its neck, according to Live 5 News. Under South Carolina law, a neglected or mistreated animal may be removed from its current custody or made subject to a court order requiring proper care, according to the South Carolina Legislature. The statute also allows a seized animal to be held pending criminal disposition at a facility maintained or contracted by an incorporated animal-protection society.
For now, Laurens County officials say their focus is on healing the puppy and finding out how she ended up in this condition. The shelter's message to the community remains simple: speak up for an animal that cannot speak for itself.
