Abused Dog Found With "Horrific" Injury

Updated at 6:12 p.m.:

Livermore Police officers are looking for the owner of a German shepherd found in Springtown with a leg fracture that had never been treated.

The dog was found Monday around 9:30 a.m. at Red Fir Way and Monterey Drive with a severely mangled left front leg, with exposed bones and infected and dead tissue, according to a press release issued by the police department Thursday. It was wearing a red leather collar with the name "Roky" on it.

The leg had an old bandage that had worn off, and it appeared that someone without medical training had attempted to repair the injury at home.

A Livermore Police Animal Control officer described the dog’s leg as “horrific and probably the worst untreated injury I have ever seen. The suffering that the dog must have endured is unthinkable.” 

The dog faced euthanasia or amputation, but Tri-Valley Animal Rescue agreed to use its "Cinderella Fund," an emergency reserve for medical situations, to help pay for treatment at Bishop Ranch Medical Center in San Ramon, which reduced its price.

TVAR worked with a German Shepherd rescue to find the dog a home.

Bishop Ranch's communication manager Erin Selby said she's never seen such a horrible injury in her 11 years at the animal hospital.

"You could see bone sticking out and when the dirty bandage was completely removed the stench of the wound filled the entire room. It was shocking," Selby told Livermore Patch via email.

 Animal Control is urging anyone with information regarding the dog's owner to contact them at (925) 371-4848.