Puppy found with muzzle bound shut in California

MADERA, Calif. -- A puppy in Madera is in a safe place after suffering severe animal abuse. It was found in a park with a rubber band, twisted around its muzzle. The poor puppy's mouth was bound shut.

Harry is on the road to recovery. He's a 4-pound puppy with 50 stitches, healing from deep wounds at the Madera County Animal Shelter.

Director Kirston Gross said, "I think he's gonna do well, he's gonna be spoiled, he won't have to suffer anymore."

She says someone dropped Harry off on Tuesday, after finding him roaming around a park, lost and abandoned. "He felt a lot of pain, a lot of discomfort and thirst," Gross said. "He was starving too, at the time."

Mara Franz, a veterinarian, said, "It's unfathomable that anyone could do something like that to a puppy."

She calls it a terrible case of animal abuse that likely lasted two to three days. She said, "My guess is that they did it because he was being nippy or yapping."

Franz says it took an hour of surgery to remove the rubber band, two layers of stitches and a day of rest to save Harry.

"To see him up, jumping around, acting like a puppy, and being a normal puppy again, is just so rewarding; it's why I do my job," Franz said.

It's not quite a happy ending but rather, a new beginning for Harry. His wounds should heal and he'll be ready for adoption soon.

Madera police are investigating the case and there is a $500 reward being offered for information leading to the person responsible for hurting Harry.