A 1-year-old dog is on the path to recovery at the Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe after she was likely used as a “bait dog” in an illegal dog-fighting operation and left for dead in the Central Valley last month, officials said Wednesday.
Gertie, a female boxer-mix, was found by a partner shelter in Tulare after she had been dropped off on the side of the road with serious injuries. According to animal center spokesperson Jessica Gerke, the dog was severely emaciated, covered in scars and had open wounds around her mouth.
Animal center officials believe the dog had been used as a “bait dog,” or a training target for other dogs in an illegal dog-fighting operation, Gerke said on Wednesday.
“I have been at Helen Woodward for over 14 years, and this is the first time since 2017 that I have seen a dog in this sort of condition,” Gerke said.
Officials said that, due to the bait dogs’ more generally passive nature, they are used to provoke aggressive dogs to attack them in the lead up to the violent animal entering a fight, which people then bet on. The bait dogs’ snouts are often taped shut or their teeth are ground down so they cannot defend themselves against the other dog, and they are then often discarded or killed once they are no longer useful.
“Gertie showed every sign of being a part of this illegal and despicable practice,” Gerke said. “Her muzzle had been tightly bound, cracking her teeth, stopping her from making a sound, and depriving her of food and water.”
Gertie was found on the side of the road with serious injuries after being part of an illegal dog-fighting operation. (Helen Woodward Animal Center)
After Gertie was found, Tulare officials quickly transferred her on Jan. 28 to the animal center in North County, where she could be medically treated, Gerke said.
Helen Woodward veterinarians said they have been working around the clock to heal the dog, but it has been a challenge. In addition to her scars and injuries across her body, Gertie bred at least once at a young age.
“We actually cannot even perform surgery at this point because she is so starved and fragile, and we can’t safely put her under anesthesia,” Gerke said. “Once we get her to a healthy weight, she has a mouthful of broken and painful teeth that we will need to pull and treat.”
The dog will also likely need laser therapy to repair the skin and hair around her snout, as well as vaccines, spaying surgery and other health treatments down the road, officials said.
Despite her injuries and abusive past, Gertie appears friendly to animal center staff, with a “happy tail,” when a dog’s enthusiastic tail wags can hit walls and hard objects with such dangerous force that it can become injured, Gerke said.
“She had a life-force inside of her whose strength was second only to the size of her heart and gratitude,” Gerke said. “Gertie’s story is hard to look at, but it is a reminder that the practice of dog-fighting continues in this country, despite laws against it.”
Dog-fighting is illegal in all 50 states, but about 40,000 Americans participate in dog-fighting annually, and 16,000 dogs die every year as a result of the illegal activity, according to a report published by the World Animal Foundation last year.
Officials said Gertie will remain in recovery for the coming weeks, after which time she will be put up for adoption.
For more information about the dog and how to donate to her medical recovery, visit animalcenter.org/Gertie.