NAPPANEE, Ind. (WTHR) - A lost dog is back home with its owner, but there are a lot of questions about the abuse it suffered while it was away.
The beagle was found with orange spray paint on its body and orange duct tape around its neck with the message "they needed to keep their dog at home," Katey Zemen, executive director of the Animal Welfare League in Kosciusko County told WNDU-TV.
"I was shocked completely," said Jessica Lowe, whose husband found the dog. "I can’t believe somebody could even do that to her. She was the sweetest, [most] loving puppy ever."
After filing a report with the Animal Welfare League, Lowe and her husband took the beagle home and posted her photo online. The post on a lost-and-found pets page on Facebook found its way to the dog's owner.
They verified the owners through photos and set up the happy reunion for the beagle, which they learned is named "Peggy."
"As soon as [the owner] started talking to her, she jumped up, started wagging her tail," Lowe said.
Zemen encourages anyone who finds an abused or neglected animal to call police, to avoid landing in a legal situation. That will also allow an animal shelter to document the case.
Because Peggy was found near the border of Elkhart and Kosciusko County, anyone with information regarding who did this to the dog should contact either the Humane Society of Elkhart County at 574-848-4225 or the Animal Welfare League of Kosciuscko County at 574-267-3008.