He’s a nine-month-old American Pit Bull Terrier named Petey. He was abandoned in an alley behind a restaurant in Lomita last month, tied up to a pole. He has a large tattoo emblazoned on his belly in black ink — a gang tattoo, say authorities.
“I’m speechless,” said Randy, a man affiliated with Romp Rescue, which is trying to find Petey a forever home. “I can’t understand why they would do that. The pain involved is obviously more than any puppy should have to endure.”
Elizabeth Vivlamore found Petey last month. Vivlamore lives across from the restaurant, and she heard Petey crying for hours. Finally, she went over and untied him, and then took him home and fed him.
“He’s a good dog,” she told CBS Los Angeles. “He is so loving and affectionate.”
She called animal control, but it never showed up, according to Dailybreeze.com, so she took him to the vet, who dewormed, vaccinated, and microchipped the dog. The vet also discovered Petey’s tail had been broken in three places. Then Vivlamore called Romp Rescue, because she couldn’t afford to care for the dog.
Randy picked up the dog. He doesn’t give his last name because he fears the gang might come back for him. He noticed the black markings on the dog’s belly, under the fur. He suspected ringworm so he shaved his belly, revealing the tattoo.
“I couldn’t believe it. I had never seen anything like that,” Randy said.
The tattoo is the name of a Los Angeles gang.
Though Petey is kind to people, he’s often scared, especially around other dogs. Randy believes he was used as a bait dog to train fighting dogs.
“His legs just shake,” Randy said. “He’s afraid of the world.”
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Randy has set up a fund on YouCaring to get Petey rehabilitated before he can find his forever home, and the dog is being trained. If you would like to donate, click here. And visit Petey’s page on the Romp Rescue site if you’re interested in adopting the dog.
Some of the details of Petey’s care are being kept a secret, including photos of the tattoo, because of the possibility of retaliation by a rival gang.
Via Dailybreeze.com; photos via Romp Rescue
