Reward offered for info on injured puppy rescued in North Charleston

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Charleston County deputies are investigating a possible case of animal cruelty involving a chihuahua puppy found in a plastic storage bin Tuesday, the Charleston Animal Society said.

A $5,000 reward is being offered for the arrest and felony conviction of those responsible, Charleston Animal Society spokesperson Kay Hyman said.

The puppy, named “Billie,” was found bleeding with a broken jaw and eye socket, she said. Children who saw the puppy in the bin on a neighborhood walking path in North Charleston told their mother, who then contacted authorities.

The puppy was taken to the animal society for treatment.

“We are concerned with the significant head injuries Billie suffered and what caused them, but as importantly, we want to know why someone left her in a bin alone, in so much obvious pain,” Charleston Animal Society Vice President of Operations and Strategy Aldwin Roman said.

The puppy’s treatment included pain medicine, x-rays and a feeding tube.

“Billie was found in the bin with a pee pad and blanket, so it seems clear someone had been caring for her. Yet she was abandoned with life-threatening injuries, which is cruel and unnecessary,” Roman said. “Someone knows what happened to this poor dog and needs to come forward.”

Along with a fracture to her right jaw and her left eye socket, Billie also had a puncture wound. Hyman said the puppy did not like her feeding tube and pulled it out, but that she was able to eat soft food and sleep comfortably under the close eye of shelter staff and veterinarians.

“We believe her injuries are going to heal, it’s just going to take a little time,” Charleston Animal Society Associate Director of Veterinary Medicine Dr. Ryan Pelletier. “She’s lucky that she was found and brought in when she was.”

Anyone with a tip on the case can call the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office at 843-743-7200.

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