A group of teenagers in the U.K. stole a Chihuahua mix named Chunky from his home one day. They had every intention of killing the tiny dog.
Police say that the teens beat the dog, fed him drugs, set him on fire and then broke his leg and neck before leaving him to die alone. Chunky may be a very small dog, but he has a lot of fight in him. He refused to die despite the extent of his injuries. He wandered the streets for days until someone spotted him and rushed him to a veterinarian.
Chunky is now in good physical health and is back with his family. Unfortunately, veterinarians fear that his personality will never be the same. He will likely be timid and nervous for the rest of his life.
Thankfully, police caught the perpetrators and charged them with animal cruelty. However, because they were all under the age of 18, they were charged as minors. They paid fines, are forbidden from owning animals for five years and must serve community service. All three of the teens claim that they were on drugs at the time of the incident.
We hope that no other dog suffers the way that Chunky did, but we are grateful he survived and is surrounded by humans who love him.
To learn more about animal cruelty legislation and what you can do to make sure perpetrators receive proper penalties, visit the Humane Society’s website.