On March 23rd in Gustine TX, my mom heard her dogs barking after a vehicle pulled up next to her home, idled for a moment and then drove out of sight before she was able to make it to the door. Left behind, she discovered a very thin beagle with it's neck far outstretched and twisted. She was traumatized, barely able to move, her head was swollen, her stance was off, her eyes literally wobbling around in her head, she was having difficulty breathing and she was extremely hot to the touch. After an intense 2 weeks and multiple vet visits we now know that her injuries show clear signs of abuse pointing toward her having been hung, or otherwise choked, and beaten:
- UNDERWEIGHT - extremely thin and malnourished
- CONJUNCTIVAL HEMATOMA IN BOTH EYES - bruising/broken blood vessels in the eyes
- HORNER'S SYNDROME LEFT EYE - signs are drooping eye lid, unequal pupils. This happens as a result of an interruption between the sympathetic nerve supply and the eye.
- MEGAESOPHAGUS - where the muscles of the esophagus are no longer able to propel food and water into the stomach. She has to be held upright after food or water for approx. 20 minutes to allow time to digest. Life expectancy is 2 years due to bouts of pneumonia caused by aspirations.
- HEAD TRAUMA - Swelling over left eye due to impact
- BB BULLET - next to her spine
- INABILITY TO BARK - throat damage
The Comanche County Sheriff's Dept is offering a $200 - $300 reward for the arrest and prosecution of her abuser and we have started a GoFundMe for donations to add to that reward. Additional information, images and video of Little Debbie can be found here: Justice for Little Debbie
Rebecca King
300 Liveoak St.
Gustine, TX 76455
682-556-9787
Dear Governor Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton, Sheriff Jeff D. Lambert and Special Agent Thomas M. Class, Sr.,
This is a petition to demand justice for an abused dog, another victim of frequently overlooked cases of animal cruelty.
On March, 23rd 2015 a young female Beagle was found badly abused in the streets of Gustine TX, with a population of approximately 467 citizens. Her injuries were consistent with intentional abuse and included apparent head trauma, malnutrition, a BB pellet lodged near her spine, Horner’s syndrome, conjunctival hematoma in both eyes and an untreated condition called megaesophagus. All consistent with her having been hung / choked and otherwise beaten.
After concerted efforts by several people and rescue groups, she was eventually taken in by a vet / retired police officer and adoptive family that has worked to restore her health as much as it can be. While she was rescued, there has not been any investigation, aside from a Crime Stoppers reward (from the Comanche County Sheriff’s Department) that was buried on a Facebook page, and the abusers have not been identified.
Attached you will find 1,791 signatures demanding an investigation, arrest and prosecution of those responsible for this heinous crime. We also raised an additional $290 to add to the Crime Stoppers reward.
We appreciate your time in considering this request to take action. By looking into this, you can help set a precedent for how law enforcement responds to these cases of animal abuse in small towns and demonstrate that it will no longer be tolerated.
Sincerely,
Rebecca King & Ryan Roberts
