VINTON, Va. (WDBJ) – Outrage is growing online as people fight for justice for a dog that was so severely neglected, he had maggots coming out of his skull and had to be put down.
Meanwhile, a local business operator stated that the outrage is being unfairly directed at his family and business.
Rescuers took the dog, Max, from a home in Vinton after a neighbor reported his condition. An online group called “Justice for Max” is asking people to boycott New York Pizza in Vinton because it said Max was taken from the operator’s mother’s home. However, the operator stated that neither he nor his business had anything to do with this.
“Once we got Max out of there, we saw he had maggots; he had a large hole in his back filled with maggots. He had maggots that had eaten through his skull, they had eaten through his skull, and they were literally coming out of his nose. They tried to brush him, and nothing but maggots kept coming off of him,” said a member of the Justice for Max group who helped rescue Max and wished to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation.
Max was removed from a home in Vinton late last week after the homeowner signed over rights to a rescue group.
The member of the group, who wished to remain anonymous, said Max was being kept in a pen and was severely neglected.
They said in addition to having maggots all over him and inside his skin and wounds, the dog also had large sores that were bleeding and oozing on his back. They said his hips were also going bad from being confined in the pen, and he had holes behind his ears where the maggots ate away at his skull.
After he was examined, a vet determined it was more humane to put Max down.
“They said it’s kinder to let him go, because he probably wouldn’t be able to make it through the treatment, and it would be harsh treatment for him. He was already older, and he was already in such bad shape, he was very lethargic,” said the anonymous group member.
The Facebook page “Justice for Max” quickly gained more than 1,000 followers.
The group is planning a protest near New York Pizza in Vinton on Friday.
Organizers said they’re targeting the restaurant because Max was taken from the home of the mother of Giacomo Montuori, who operates the restaurant.
They claim Montuori and his family were aware of the dog’s treatment and did nothing to help.
“This should have never happened in the first place. This could have been prevented,” said the anonymous group member. “We want for him (Max) to not just be another statistic.”
However, Giacomo Montuori said that isn’t true. He declined to be interviewed but did speak with WDBJ7 on Tuesday, and said he had nothing to do with the dog and knew nothing about it.
He said his business, employees, and family are being unfairly targeted for something they had nothing to do with.
Montuori confirmed to WDBJ7 that he was at his mother’s home when the rescue group came to take the dog, but said he was just there visiting his mother and did not interfere with the dog being taken. He said he was unaware of Max’s condition.
Montuori provided the following statement to WDBJ7:
“We are deeply saddened by this turn of events. We take these allegations very seriously and are sorry that this happened. The dog was not owned by an owner or employee of NY Pizza. We have sought legal representation and are investigating this matter.”
The Vinton Police Department confirmed it is investigating what happened to the dog for a possible animal neglect case, but said it couldn’t provide any additional details about an ongoing investigation.
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