MEDIA CONTACT:

Stacy ArchambaultFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(619) 243-3432office January 21, 2015

(951) 837-5706cell

Abused Husky Rescued From Cruelty Will Soon BeReady For Adoption And A New Family To Love Her

Her 12-week old puppies were also rescued and are available for adoption

OCEANSIDE— Kiera, an 11-month-old Siberian Husky, and her two 12-week old puppies, will soon be available for adoption after their rescue last week from an abusive situation in Oceanside. Kiera was initially found in a backyard,tethered to a steel ladder by a bike lock cable with less than 12” slack,without access to shelter, food or water. Upon further examination, her muzzle had been tightly bound with duct tape for an extended period of time preventing her from eating, drinking or properly attending to her two 12-week old puppies. She was also underweight with severely matted fur. Her puppies were found confined to the garage, and while dehydrated, appeared in good overall condition.

“The condition of the duct tape, as well as her emaciated appearance, indicates that she has been suffering in this neglectful and abusive situation for a very long time. We’re unsure how she survived as long as she did, or how she was able to care for her puppies under such deplorable conditions,” says Steve MacKinnon, Chief of Humane Law Enforcement for San Diego Humane Society. MacKinnon explained that Kieraand her puppies were originally found by the Oceanside Police Department, who called in Humane Law Enforcement upon evaluation of their condition.

From the investigation by San Diego Humane Society Humane Law Enforcement, officers believe this act was intentional cruelty and constitutes animal abuse in the state of California. Unfortunately, after a thorough investigation, authorities were unable to gather enough evidence to determine the exact persons at fault for this painful infliction and therefore, cannot press charges.

MacKinnon continues, “After an in-depth investigation, it was determined that the incident was committed by persons in the household but there was insufficient evidence to prove who actually committed the acts. It appears all residents in the house had some level of knowledge of the cruelty, but everyone failed to act to protect Kiera. We’re just lucky to have found the dogs when we did, and get them immediate medical attention. We’d like to thank the Oceanside Police Department, who prompted us to investigate, as well as everyone who supports our mission and allows us to help these types of cases. Without them, animals like Kiera would continue to suffer.”

San Diego Humane Society veterinarians performed thorough medical exams on Kiera and her puppies. With proper nutrition and a safe place to recover, they have been given a positive prognosis and will soon be available for adoption at the San Diego Campus located at 5500 Gaines Street. Anyone interested in adopting Kiera, or one of her puppies,is encouraged to apply in person through Sunday.

Dr. Gary Weitzman, president and CEO of San Diego Humane Society says, “What happened to Kiera and her puppies is heartbreaking and, unfortunately, we see animal cruelty like this all too often. We rely on information from the community to be able to seek justice for these animals who are unable to defend themselves. Fighting animal cruelty is one of our primary missions so we can give animals like Kiera the second chance they deserve.”

To schedule an interview or for more information, please contact Stacy Archambault at (619) 243-3432 or .

Additional photos and B-roll available upon request.

About San Diego Humane Society

ServingSanDiegoCountysince1880,SanDiegoHumaneSociety’sscopeofsocialresponsibilitygoesbeyondadoptinganimals.San DiegoHumaneSocietyoffersSanDiegansawiderangeofprogramsandservicesto ‘Inspire Compassion’ in our community,preventcruelty/neglect, provide medicalcare, educatethe community on the humane treatment of animals and provide safety net services for all pet families needing assistance with keeping their pets.

Asone ofSan Diego’s oldestnonprofit organizations, San DiegoHumaneSocietyhascampuses locatedinEscondido,Oceanside,andSanDiegoaswellasadoptioncentersinsidePetcostoresthroughoutSanDiegoCounty.San Diego Humane Society issupported solely throughcontributions,grants,bequests, investments,proceedsfromtheMuttiqueretailstoreandsmallfeesforservices.Formoreinformationortoviewourcurrentanimalsavailableforadoption;pleasevisit

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