If you’ve been following the story of Caitlyn the Staffordshire terrier pup, you might be happy to hear that the man who taped her mouth shut has been arrested.
Caitlyn is a 15 month old Staffie that was found in horrible condition with her mouth taped shut with electrical tape. It was bound so tightly around her muzzle that her mouth was swollen and her tongue was damaged from blood flow being stopped. She is being taken care at the Charleston Animal Society, where she needed surgery to try to rescue as much of her tongue as possible and make it possible for her to eat and drink after recovery.
Even though Dr. Henri Bianucci, the veterinarian who treated Caitlyn, has dealt with many trauma cases in the past, even he was shocked by Caitlyn’s case and abuse. “It really strikes you as so willfully cruel,” he said. “Seeing the dog with the tape on her muzzle and the look on her face, it hit you that this guy really betrayed this dog’s trust. The dog couldn’t pick anything up, it can’t bark, it can’t defend itself or pant to cool itself off. What he did shut the dog off from the world.”
Caitlyn’s supporters can finally rest easy now that she is past critical condition and recovering and eating properly. She may also soon have justice as a man was arrested Monday night who was found in connection to the case. The man who has been charged is a 41 year old in North Charleston named William Leonard Dodson. According to an arrest affidavit, he said he did it to stop the dog’s barking and laughed after taping her mouth shut. If convicted, he may face up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
