CPAC Seeks ‘Justice for Gabriel’

By Sarah Naron

Messenger Reporter

HOUSTON COUNTY – Concerned citizens throughout the county have joined forces to raise a total of $500 to be offered as a reward for information resulting in the arrest of the culprit in an act of animal abuse which was reported last week to the Crockett-based Coalition for the Prevention of Animal Cruelty (CPAC).

CPAC Manager Lori Bowlin explained that while on a weekend visit to Arlington, she received a call regarding a puppy that had sustained severe facial injuries from a colleague, who had received the information from a Crockett resident.

“She was going out there to see if she could get him,” Bowlin explained. “She wanted an emergency vet to meet her at South Pine (Animal Hospital).”

The situation, Bowlin said, was a dire one.

“The injuries were extensive,” she said. “We were going to try to put him back together, but once he got there, it had been several days, a week, or longer. It had become necrotic and infected. The bone, the teeth, the tissue had all been detached from the far back end of his jaw. The tongue was detached down the throat. Without a tongue, he can’t lap water.”

Based on the “explosive impact” to the dog’s face, Bowlin said the injuries were likely due to a gunshot wound or a firecracker being placed into the animal’s mouth.

The puppy, who came to be known as Gabriel, was euthanized and laid to rest on private property, Bowlin said.

“If anyone has any information, please contact the Houston County Sheriff’s Department,” Bowlin encouraged.