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A Utah woman has been charged with animal torture after she allegedly used a hair tie to seal her puppy's mouth to prevent the dog from barking.
According to Gephardt Daily, 19-year-old Alexis Callen was charged on Tuesday for the third-degree felony. The charges came after a local rescue organization in Murray City, Utah, took the puppy to an animal hospital after photos of 3-month-old Shadow were shared on social media.
Police officers then responded to the case, finding Callen at her apartment where she admitted "that she intentionally and knowingly had placed her elastic hair tie around the dog's snout for a period of 48 hours in hopes to keep the dog quiet from excessive whining," a probable cause statement obtained by Gephardt Daily says.
"Alexis had sole custody of the companion animal. Alexis acted in a heinous and cruel manner by inflicting an extreme amount of physical pain to the 3-month-old companion animal (black Labrador mix type dog). Alexis denied the dog essential care by refusing to seek veterinarian care," the statement reads.
Though Callen admitted to police that she placed the hair tie around the Labrador/German Shepherd mix's snout for 48 hours, paperwork obtained from a veterinarian involved in treating the pup said that the deep scar around the Shadow's nose and mouth indicate that she was muzzled for far longer, KSTU-TV said.
"Left side [of her nose], it's completely open even with her mouth closed. You can see into her mouth. It's pretty bad," Caylla Facemyer, Shadow's foster mom, told the tv station.
The dog's injuries will require reconstructive surgery as the hole left behind makes drinking and eating a challenge for the puppy.
The veterinarian said it is expected that Shadow will make a full recovery, but she will need at least two weeks of recovery following surgery.
Once Shadow has recovered, Celestial Zoo, the rescue organization who took her from Callen after she posted to social media looking to give the puppy away, plans to find the dog a new home.
According to KSTU, Callen wanted to re-home the dog, not because of the noise, but because she couldn't afford to pay the vet bills for Shadow.
The organization is currently taking donations for Shadow's surgery, which is scheduled for next week.
Callen was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on animal torture charges. Additional information regarding bond or if she has been released was not immediately available.
