Woman Adopts Abused Pit Bull to Find Gash Under Harness, Former Owner Sent to Jail
Every dog deserves a warm home with the love of a family. Sadly though, many pups don’t have warm and loving homes, and instead find themselves to be victims of abuse.
This was the case for Rocco, a pit bull who was fortunately adopted, thanks to his new mom.
It was November of 2016 when Kelly Benzel, a resident of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, found Rocco for sale on Facebook.
She had been searching to buy a dog for her family for Christmas when she came upon the white pit bull mix.
Rocco was visibly neglected, left outside without water or shelter and wearing a harness too small for his body. Benzel’s heart broke for the abused pup.
“My heart broke becuause he’s a white dog and he looks very dingy and obviously didn’t look cared for,” she said. So she bought Rocco.
On the way to her home, Benzel noticed a ransid smell. And upon arriving home, she found a 6-inch gash on Rocco’s stomach; the harness was inside the infected gash that was one-and-a-half inches deep on one side.
Rocco’s mom took him to the vet that night, where the pup was bandaged and given medications for the pain.
The veterinarian who took care of Rocco, Dr. Robert Forbes, told police that the dog’s former owner must have never taken the harness off after putting it on at a young age, and it embedded in Rocco’s skin as he grew bigger.
As for the abusive former owner, 51-year-old Daniel Eisencah, things aren’t looking too pretty for him.
A judge in the Fond du Lac Circuit Court compared Rocco’s abuse to a butchered animal.
Eisencah told police that he never took the harness off because Rocco was difficult to catch in their backyard. But a detective on the case determined this to be a lie, as Rocco quickly came up to him and licked his hand.
Eisenach was sentenced 30 days in jail followed by 2 years probation. He is facing charges of disorderly conduct and intentional mistreatment of animals.
As for Rocco, he is doing much better with his new family. His wound is healing after being sewn up and he is now very loved and cared for by his new mom.
But Rocco isn’t the only one feeling the love of his new family. The sweet pup himself has blessed his mom in an unmeasurable way.
“It’s definitely unbreakable,” Benzel said speaking of the bond and love the two share. “I am so thankful that I have him in my world.”
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