An 8-year-old Pit Bull mix was brutally abandoned at a Winchester, California, cell phone tower last month. The pup, named Ken, was found by maintenance workers.
Pit Bull Abandoned
According to video footage that captured the ordeal, a man picked up the dog (known as KO on his microchip registration) and heaved him over a high fence topped with razor wire. The dog, whose hind legs almost got caught in the wire, fell into an enclosure surrounding the tower. The man walked away and did not look back. The dog was stranded for approximately two hours before he was found.
Riverside County Animal Services reported on Facebook that the pooch was “really thirsty” and drank about three bottles of water after being rescued. The abandoned canine was evaluated for injuries and treated for mucoid discharge in both eyes. He was then admitted to Western Riverside County/City Animal Shelter in Jurupa Valley for safekeeping.
Arrest Warrant Sought
The man who abandoned the dog is believed to be 30-year-old Robert Ruiz, Jr., per the pup’s microchip registration information. The animal services agency is pursuing an arrest warrant for Ruiz, but so far, he has not been found.
“We’re now moving forward with seeking the arrest warrant because this person needs to be held accountable for such a horrible act of willful abandonment,” Animal Services Commander Josh Sisler said in a press release. “We are confident the man in the video is the owner of the dog. It is just shocking to see this act. It’s a small miracle the dog did not suffer serious injuries from the razor wire or from such a high drop.”
The good news in this sad story is that after Ken became eligible for adoption, a woman named Jennifer from Orange County saw a video of the pup and “felt compelled to drive to Jurupa Valley to give ‘Ken’ a new home,” Riverside County Animal Services shared on Facebook.
It seems as if Ken’s 2023 is off to a promising start!
