Putting Tucker’s traumatic injuries behind him
Tucker is under the care of the Humane Society of Yuma after being found with a rubber band over his muzzle that caused a section of the skin to die.
He is a small terrier mix of about 3.5 pounds, and was found on the west side of Yuma and then brought to the shelter on May 4 by the City of Yuma Animal Control. The estimated three-month-old puppy had no collar and no tags.
“It was a traumatic injury with an open wound,” said Annette Lagunas, HSOY executive director. Tucker also was underweight as he had been unable to eat.
The puppy had an initial examination and debriding, then a second surgery to close the wound. He is now recuperating in foster care with one of the medical technicians from the shelter’s clinic. He is still on pain medications, but is expected to have his sutures removed in a couple of days.
While suffering such a painful wound, Tucker is expected to make a full recovery. Cost of his care could exceed $1,000. HSOY is asking the community to open their hearts and donate toward the cost of his care as well as for the many other animals currently under the care of the shelter, some of them recovering from various wounds or neglect. An anonymous donor has also offered a $1,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest of the party responsible for Tucker's injuries.
The Humane Society of Yuma has just completed a month-long campaign, Go Orange for Animals, to raise awareness about animal cruelty and seeking the community’s support to help prevent it and to report when they see cases of an animal being mistreated, abandoned or neglected. The goals of the campaign were to talk to the community about how to treat animals with kindness and respect, understanding animal anti-cruelty laws and learning how to report animal cruelty cases.
How can you help? If you would like to donate to help care for Tucker and the other animals in the care of HSOY, you can donate below.
To report animal abuse or neglect, contact the local Animal Control:
- City of Yuma – 928-783-4421
- Yuma County – 928-783-4427
- City of Somerton – 928-627-2011
- City of San Luis – 928-341-2420
- Town of Wellton – 928-785-4887
- Marine Corps Air Station Yuma – 928-269-6303
- Quechan Tribe – 760-572-0243
- Cocopah Tribe – 928-627-8857
