The puppy who survived the removal of its ears in a recent attack has found a foster home, according to San Diego County animal control officers.
The Labrador-shepherd puppy, named Sunny by staff at the county shelter, has not officially been put up for adoption despite a lot of requests from interested locals.
Veterinarians suspect the puppy’s ears were probably cut off with either a pair of scissors or a serrated knife, said Animal Control Lt. Daniel DeSousa.
Patricia Garcia and her family found the puppy as they left the Mission Valley Target. The family heard what sounded like whimpering coming from a nearby Dumpster, upon further investigation the family found the one-month-old puppy.
The puppy looked like it was covered in something oily, Garcia said. She ran to her car to get some newspaper to put the puppy in and rushed him to the San Diego Department of Animal Services.
Candy Schumann, Volunteer Executive Director of Spay and Neuter Action Project (SNAP), is serving as Sunny’s foster mother and said the puppy is doing great.
“He is doing fantastically. He is very confident, healthy, active, loves to play, can entertain himself,” she said. “No issues.”
Sunny seemed to be a normal puppy as he played at the Richard Joseph Salon in Hillcrest while Schumann was getting her hair done Tuesday. The puppy wore a blue sweater that matched the blue cone around his face while he played with another foster dog, Trinket on the salon floor.
“Happy to let everybody know out there who have been so concerned about him and saw the story previously that he’s just doing great,” Schumann said.
Sunny's ears work just fine, the damage is mostly cosmetic according to Schumann.
"It just makes him unique," she said.
The puppy will survive his ordeal, but animal control officers still want answers.
"We want to know who did this,” DeSousa said. "We want to know if there are any other puppies out there. If somebody could do this to a puppy and just dump it, they could easily do it to another puppy."
The penalty for felony animal cruelty is state prison and a $1000 fine.
The department is asking for the public's help to identify whoever may have committed this crime. A local group is offering a $3000 reward for any information about the suspect.
His medical care was covered by the department's "Spirit Fund," which helps the department care for animals with special medical needs. If you would like to donate to the fund, contact the Department of Animal Services.
The adoption process can not begin until the investigation into her injuries has been completed.
Once the investigation wraps, an application for her adoption will be put up on the animal shelter's website.
The animal shelter will not be taking names of interested adopters before that time.