YSPILANTI, Mich. – Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV) animal cruelty investigators are asking community members for leads about a dead dog found on the side of Ecorse Road near Michigan Avenue in Ypsilanti on Monday.
A postmortem examination of the mutilated animal revealed three large, deep lacerations, a skull fracture, and a small, round puncture hole in the skin directly in the center on top of the head, HSHV said in a release. The organization was suspicious of the hole being a bullet entry wound but it was unconfirmed.
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“These weren’t stabs,” said HSHV Animal Cruelty and Rescue Supervisor Melinda Szabelski. “One of the gashes is bigger than my two hands put together, and another reveals his skull.”
The 12-year-old terrier, Tyson, had been missing for four days. He was last seen by his owners at 7 a.m. on Thursday, March 18, at their home near Chevrolet Street and Zephyr Avenue, said HSHV.
The owners said that the dog was on a tie-out in their backyard but had disappeared when they returned from the hospital at 3 p.m. the same day. According to the release, the dog’s unbuckled collar was attached to the tie-out.
The family found the mutilated dog on the side of the road two-and-a-half miles away from their home after searching and posting online. They were notified on Facebook of a deceased pitbull on the overpass near the guardrails and suspected that Tyson had been hit by a car. They called HSHV animal cruelty investigators after seeing that the dog may have been intentionally harmed, said HSHV.
Humane Society investigators didn’t find blood or any other typical signs that the dog may have been hit by a car, the organization said.
Anyone with information should contact HSHV’s cruelty investigation hotline at 734-661-3560.