Veterinarians amputate severely beaten dog's hind leg
The Humane Society of Huron Valley posted an update today on Brownie, a severely beaten 5-month-old puppy who had fractures to her right front leg joint and rear left leg joint.
The Humane Society said Brownie's back leg wasn't healing properly, and the decision was made to amputate the leg.
According to the blog post, "We're sorry to report that Brownie's back leg was not healing properly and was causing her a great deal of pain. Dr. John Gumbs assessed the latest x-rays and consulted with HSHV veterinarian Dr. Meredith Mallory. Based on their findings the decision was made to amputate her leg. Dr. Mallory performed the surgery yesterday.
"The bones were severely splintered and could not mend," Mallory said in the blog post. "We did what was best for Brownie and at this point we do not anticipate she'll need any other surgery. The good news is, she's recovering very well and should be able to adjust to her new situation quickly. We know she'll be back up running around in no time."
Eric Jason Rutley, 29, is accused of beating Brownie - an Australian Shepherd - with a tire iron. He recently was ordered to stand trial on several charges, including felony animal torture.
Authorities said Rutley also allegedly choked his girlfriend and had 10 to 15 marijuana plants in his home, police said.
Rutley is set to appear for a pre-trial hearing Oct. 22 and remains in the Washtenaw County Jail.
Comments
gdn8670
Wed, Jan 20, 2010 : 9:10 a.m.
In response to the outpouring of concern for Brownie I would like all to know that my wife and I adopted her (renamed Annie) in early November and she is "thriving". She now lives in a loving home with two other dogs that were also adopted from HSHV and numerous cats, all of which were rescued in in one way or another. Annie is getting stronger every day and would like be able to play with new dog friends, but beacause of issues arisning from her injuries, we are still having to limit her activity. She is still under the care of the wonderful clinic staff at HSHV and they feel that she is progressing well. Her right front elbow still has a metal plate, 6 screws and wire holding it together and when the bone is healed and stablized she will hopefully be able to "run with wind". In response to the comments about this story regarding wanting to extract some sort of bodily harm to the person that beat her let me add that I too was enraged when I first heard the news. However, this kind of behavior would only perpetuate violence. One of our other dogs and I visit schools and groups of young people to tell them about the humane society, the responsibility of owning a pet and what to do when encountering a stray dog or animal abuse. When Annie is older and completely healed she will also become a spokesdog for HSHV as an example of animal cruelty and what the efforts of HSHV can accomplish. Then her story will be complete and she can repay all the countless folks that hekped save her.
Pat Mueller
Wed, Sep 23, 2009 : 2:07 p.m.
Mr. Eric Jason Rutley seems to need significant psychological repair. There are stats showing how people who abuse animals progress to more violence. Who among us thinks that a long prison sentence will make him a contributing member of society? Certainly, taking him off the streets serves the community well, but he will be out again, and then what? We need a long term plan that works. Who and where do we look for those answers?
dawhood
Tue, Sep 22, 2009 : 7:46 p.m.
Some one wrote against Mike Vick. I think he paid dearly for what he did and im sure he is remorseful for what he had done. The. person that hurt Brownie should be hurt one half as much as Mr Vick. I wonder if he will ever be for given?
eyeonthenews
Tue, Sep 22, 2009 : 4:37 p.m.
I'm sad to hear that Brownie had to loose her leg. God Bless her care givers and Thank God for the love she's finally receiving. Unfortunately, even if this monster gets the maximum sentance the judge can give him it will never be enough for what this man should get. Our laws on animal abuse is just not strong enough or severe enough to give more than a slap on the wrist. Just look at what Vick did and now he's back playing football and making millions.
bunnyabbot
Tue, Sep 22, 2009 : 3:23 p.m.
Poor Brownie, lots of kisses to this sweet dog. She will do fine, I have seen lots of three legged dogs running around with normal lives.
djm12652
Tue, Sep 22, 2009 : 3:09 p.m.
Is the owner going to receive custody back of the dog? If not, will Brownie go up for adoption?
Indicat
Tue, Sep 22, 2009 : 3:09 p.m.
Poor Brownie! It sickens me that there has been so much animal abuse in the news lately. As Tanya of the Humane Society suggested, concerned citizens need to let the appropriate judge (Judge Schwarz?) know that animal abuse is not acceptable, and if found guilty, give the maximum sentence allowed.
treetowncartel
Tue, Sep 22, 2009 : 2:17 p.m.
Putting this in persepective with the recent leash vs unleashed soundoff,ancestors of ours domesticated these animals many moons ago and they have come to depend on us. Unfortunately, society focused on getting the best out of them through breeding, its sad we didn't put that much energy into preventing the charecteristics of an individual who would beat a helpless 5 month old dog. We owe our existence to the help of mans' best friend who one night long ago ventured from outside the light of the fire to become our companion, leash or no leash.
somebody7
Tue, Sep 22, 2009 : 2:09 p.m.
This poor dog. Kudos to the Humane Society of Huron Valley for all its hard work, though. This is an especially wonderful group.
A C
Tue, Sep 22, 2009 : 1:15 p.m.
Rutley needs to be put away for life and never let out in society again. He is obviously a severely disturbed and violent individual that has no place in society. Eye for an eye? Maybe splinter his legs while we are at it as punishment before being locked up.
Andersen/Lodi Township
Tue, Sep 22, 2009 : 12:58 p.m.
It never fails to amaze me how brutal human beings can be, this poor dog has gone through hell, I hope he is ok.