Animal control officers removed seven adult dogs and four puppies from a home in Belle Glade, Fla. The owner has been arrested and charged with felony animal cruelty after it was revealed that he amputated part of one of the dog’s legs with a hacksaw.
Police initially investigated Baptiste’s residence after neighbors complained of gunshots.
Luc Jean Baptiste, 48, told officials that his 10-year-old Pit Bull mix dog had an injured right front leg. According to a witness, Baptiste allegedly duct taped the dog’s mouth shut, hog-tied her, and amputated the limb with a hacksaw.
The dog was taken to Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control, where the facility’s director, Dianne Sauve, named the animal Karma.
“What goes around comes around,” Sauve said. “I think whoever did this to this dog is going to be carrying a karmic debt for a long, long time.”
Karma also suffers from a severe uterine infection, leading examiners to believe she was also used for breeding. After surgery to remove the dog’s uterus and treat its leg, Karma will probably be put up for adoption.
“My initial reaction to something like this is just absolute anger,” Sauve said. “I don’t buy for one minute that someone is trying to help an animal by doing something so barbaric to it.”
An online petition for Baptiste to serve the maximum sentence and never own an animal again, if convicted, can be found at Change.org.
