Puppy being choked by deeply embedded collar rescued from Athens owner

stock photo

By Joe Johnson

The Police and Animal Services departments are investigating a cruelty case involving a dog that was suffering from a deeply embedded collar when it was recently rescued.

It’s believed that after the owner placed the collar on “Marnie” he never adjusted it as the 8-month-old puppy grew, causing the collar to tear through the flesh around her neck.

The female mixed breed German shepherd came to the attention of authorities as the result of a neighborhood request for a welfare check.

As soon as she set foot on the Noketchee Drive property an Animal Services officer reportedly noticed the odors of infection and decaying flesh from the puppy’s wounds.

And as the officer approached Marnie’s pen she saw a tag hanging from its neck but was unable to see the collar to which it was attached because of how deeply it was embedded in the neck.

The officer further noted that the pen was littered with empty bowls, paper plates, takeout containers and a bucket of dirty water infested with mosquito larvae.

Animal Services impounded Marnie and took her to an animal hospital for examination and treatment. A veterinarian determined that the wound from the collar was an inch deep. The vet told authorities that it would have taken four to six weeks for the collar to become that embedded.

“I was advised these injuries can be extremely painful and cause the animal to suffer as the collar slowly tears through the skin around the neck,” a police officer wrote in a report.

The officer said he would seek an arrest warrant that charges the owner, 63-year-old Sammy Lee Richardson, with felony aggravated animal cruelty.