According to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office detectives, the puppy’s former owner, Lyman Kenneth Morkunas admitted to knowing the puppy was injured from a fight with an adult dog and did not take it to get medical treatment.
Maricopa County Sheriff’s Animal Crimes unit detectives spoke with Morkunas and the couple who took in the injured dog to care for it. That couple told detectives Morkunas bragged about using a 16 pound sledge hammer to break up the fight.
Detectives arrested Morkunas on one count of felony animal abuse. He was booked into the 4th Avenue Jail and released shortly after his initial appearance.
The puppy’s two front legs were severely broken and there were multiple puncture wounds and a major infection had set in due to the delay in immediate medical treatment.
One leg was a severe fracture to the “elbow” joint of the leg while the other was shattered all the way through the bone.
The couple who brought the puppy in to the hospital says they cannot afford the treatment for the puppy and signed him over to the animal hospital. PAWS, an animal rescue, has been supplying funds for its care since.