WA sheriff: dog’s head covered with duct tape

BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — Whatcom County sheriff’s officers responding to an animal cruelty complaint found a young bloodhound whose entire head — except for his nostrils — was covered in duct tape.

The sheriff’s office is recommending that prosecutors file a second-degree animal cruelty charge against the 25-year-old owner.

Whatcom Humane Society Executive Director Laura Clark says that in addition to the duct tape, the 7-month-old dog named “Bear” was muzzled and leashed to a doorknob in a laundry room.

Clark tells the Bellingham Herald that the dog’s owner told investigators he muzzled Bear because “he chewed.”

Bear is now in the custody of the Whatcom Humane Society. Clark says he got a bath to remove urine and dried feces and has received treatment for abrasions to his head, as well as for eye and ear infections.

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Information from: The Bellingham Herald, http://www.bellinghamherald.com