Man Vows to Track Down Person Responsible for Cutting Off Puppy's Ears

From Good Housekeeping

An Oklahoma man is on a mission to track down a local animal abuser after authorities found a 3-month-old puppy with no ears. Matt Niksch "snapped" when he heard the heartbreaking news about Rocky, a retriever mix named by rescuers for his fighting spirit.

"We're coming," Niksch told KOCO. "We'll find you. I mean, if it takes money to find you, we'll find you."

Oklahoma City resident Kaylee Doonkeen discovered the crying pup in her yard last week. "It's terrible," she told KFOR. "He looked like his ears were folded back." But when welfare workers approached the abandoned animal, they realized his suffering was much worse than they thought.

Someone had cut off both of the young dog's ears to the scalp, leaving raw and ragged wounds. The rescuers rushed to find Rocky medical attention, with potential infection posing a big concern. Now Rocky is on antibiotics and recovering with a foster family as advocates hunt down the person (or people) responsible.

"The ears were intentionally removed from the animal," superintendent of Oklahoma City Animal Welfare Jon Gary confirmed to KOCO.

As news of the heartless mutilation spread, Niksch of Metro Appliance of Oklahoma City vowed to find justice. As the owner of two dogs, he thought of what his pets have given him. He's decided to pay it forward by hunting down Rocky's abuser.

"I'll keep posting it on Facebook or ... on my business Facebook - whatever - until they're caught," he told KOCO.

Niksch has already offered a reward of $1,000 of his personal money to persuade people with information to come forward. PETA is also offering $5,000 for tips leading to an animal cruelty conviction.

"Someone deliberately cut off this puppy's ears, leaving him crying and in pain until he was found by police," PETA Vice President Colleen O'Brien wrote in a statement. "PETA is calling on anyone who recognizes this dog or knows someone who has a similar-looking puppy to come forward immediately so that whoever mutilated this puppy can be stopped from hurting anyone else."

While this act of unmistakable cruelty could have cost him his life, Rocky is thankfully healthy and happy in his foster home. Even better, vets determined that the young dog kept his hearing despite the extent of his injuries. He will potentially go up for adoption in several weeks, Gary says.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Field Operations Supervisor of the Oklahoma City Animal Welfare Division at (405) 297-3117.

(h/t WCVB)

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