Maimed dog, 2 dead puppies found on roadside

WILSON, North Carolina -- Talia Sutton was driving down Graves Road on Tuesday when she noticed a white pit bull on the side of the road. It didn't look well, so she pulled over.

"Poor thing was shivering. We got out and we started petting him," Sutton said.

Then when he moved, she got a closer look -- and understood why he was hurting.

"As soon as I saw his private area, I just called 911," Sutton said. "When I called 911, I told them you all need to hurry up because I thought this dog was dying."

Dispatchers sent officers with Wilson County Animal Control. Sutton waited with the dog, who had a collar, but no tag or microchips, until they arrived.

When the dog arrived at Wilson County Animal Control, contact was made with a rescue group that often works in the area, Rescue Dogs Rock NYC.

Jackie O'Sullivan, the group's co-founder, said she was told that if someone didn't take ownership of the thin, bony dog, it would have to be euthanized because of its injuries.

The group quickly took ownership and had the dog sent to Riverside Veterinary Hospital in Rocky Mount.

Staff there said the office and the rescue started working together after Hurricane Matthew hit. They said the rescue group found themselves stuck in the area because of flooding and needed a nearby vet.

Rescue Dogs Rock NYC named the dog Zeus and he's now awaiting surgery.

"It's a very sensitive area so we felt that getting him on antibiotics and pain medication and IV fluids was more paramount," said Dr. Chandra Meachen Tucker, the Associate Veterinarian at Riverside. She's been treating Zeus since he came in Tuesday afternoon.

At this point, she said they don't know what may have caused Zeus' injuries.

"We are not conclusive on the source of the injuries, whether it was a person, a knife or if he maybe got caught in wire," Meachen Tucker said.

She said when Zeus is under anesthesia on Thursday they will also look for signs to see whether someone possibly tied a rubber band around his penis. They also think the injury could be an accident resulting from a medical condition called paraphimosis, which is when a dog can't retract its penis back inside its sheath.

Sutton, however is convinced some sort of abuse is involved.

"Look at all the trash on this road, somebody dumped him here," Sutton said.

A news crew was standing on Graves Road while she showed us where she found Zeus, Sutton's family made another shocking discovery just a few yards away.

They spotted a trash bag and a vulture nearby. When they opened the trash bag they found two dead puppies with no obvious injuries.

Sutton called 911 and animal control again came to Graves Road. They closed the road while they searched the road before taking the puppies away. That is now under investigation, as is what happened to Zeus.

Zeus will have surgery on Thursday morning. The vets will try to save Zeus' anatomy and if they can't, then they will do reconstructive surgery. Either way, Meachen Tucker said, Zeus can live a happy and full life.

Rescue Dogs Rock NYC is a non-profit. If you would like to help with Zeus' medical care, you can donate here.

You can also mail donations to:

RDR NYC

PO Box 101

NY, NY 10028