CENTERTON (KFSM) – The owner of the dog found wounded last week with fireworks equipment attached to her has been cited by police on suspicion of failure to seek medical attention, police said Thursday.
The dog named Tinkerbelle will remain at the Centerton Animal Hospital until the court proceedings end, according to the Centerton Police Department.
Tinkerbelle was brought to the animal hospital July 8 with major wounds on her body, prompting a search for her owner. The dog was found with empty tubes used to discharge fireworks dragging behind her by a piece of duct tape, according to a letter released Thursday by Centerton Police Chief Lance Johnson.
Employees at the animal hospital named her “Moxy” before finding out her real name is “Tinkerbelle”. The owner was found late last week, but Tinkerbelle remained at the hospital to receive more medical treatment. Officials were unsure at the time whose custody they would release the dog into because of the pending investigation.
The police chief’s letter does not state whether or not Tinkerbelle’s wounds were caused by fireworks. The owner told police the injuries occurred over time from the dog repeatedly digging along and crawling under a wooden privacy fence. The owner said after examining photographs that Tinkerbelle did not appear to have any new external injuries since escaping the backyard, police said.
The dog also suffered internal injuries, with the letter stating, “The canine’s emaciated state was due to being diabetic and an infestation of intestinal parasites that should have been treated by a veterinarian.”
Animal control officers said a neighbor found the 13-year-old rat terrier with open wounds and no collar in the Appleridge neighborhood in Centerton. The neighbor said she went inside to call authorities and the dog wandered next door. Her next door neighbor called officials to come pick up the badly injured dog, authorities said.
The dog’s veterinarian said she did not have any broken bones, but was having trouble walking.
The Centerton Animal Shelter conducted a fundraiser last week to help the dog. By the end of the week, 145 people had donated a total of $4,110 toward care for the dog, according to the GoFundMe.com web page for Tinkerbelle.
