EDGEWATER — Flapjack, a young pit bull mix, was found in a South Side alley during Monday's subzero temperatures with his bottom lip infected and falling off the bone from an apparent bite wound, employees of a no-kill animal shelter said Thursday.
The dog had been left for dead when the city's Animal Care and Control agency found him, shivering near a dumpster, said Felines & Canines director Kelly Thompson.
"It's really bad," she said of the about 1-year-old pup. "He was found Monday in this, like, outrageous weather."
The dog spent Wednesday at the vet, where the wound's "necrotic" tissue was removed from the "completely detached" lip, she said.
Veterinarian Joanna Krol, of Animal Care Center of Chicago, said an exploratory surgery Monday would determine Flapjack's course of treatment, which could include a partial amputation of the lower jaw.
Flapjack on Thursday seemed in good spirits, sniffing, licking and playing like any other dog. The only odd thing about him was his bottom lip, flapping freely more than an inch away from his gum.
"Somebody used him for something," said shelter executive director Abby Smith. "Those are bite marks; He was bit to s--t — I just can't believe it."
Flapjack was rescued during a time when the city is seeing a spike in reports of weather-related animal abuse.
Thompson has seen it, too.
"There's still this very barbaric level of animal abuse and neglect that's going on, and there's a total disregard for any respect for life," she said. "We're talking historically cold temperatures, and it's not stopping people from taking these animals and tossing them outside."
In November, the shelter rescued a severely emaciated pit bull, named Willow, who also was left in an alley. The friendly pooch has since been adopted.
"Willow is like a normal dog now," Thompson said. "She's at a healthy weight and she's beautiful — really, really happy."
Donations made to the shelter for Willow's care would be used to treat Flapjack and three other neglected dogs rescued by the shelter in the last week, she said.
"It makes me wonder how many of these animals are shoved into garbage bags and put in dumpsters," she said. "If we can afford to take these dogs on — who are amazing and super sweet and really social and love dogs and love people and all that stuff, but have these horrific injuries — if we can afford to do it, we want to do it."
She said she was hopeful Flapjack would heal and be a pup "who can eat, who can be healthy, who can be free of infection, who will have just a really cute overbite with like a tongue that sticks out all the time."
For more information on Felines & Canines and how to help Flapjack, click here.
