WINDSOR
The Isle of Wight County Sheriff’s Office is working with animal control officers to determine who sexually abused a dog.

According to Lt. Tommy Potter, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office, several weeks ago a county resident found the dog, a female beagle-hound mix, running loose in the area of Tyler Drive in Windsor. The resident and his family brought the animal to the Isle of Wight Animal Shelter and turned her over to shelter staff. The dog was screened by shelter staff, given the name “Huggles,” and was seen by a local veterinarian, who scheduled her to be spayed.

Shortly after the spay procedure, which at the time had been performed without any noticeable complications, Huggles developed vaginal bleeding and other symptoms of declining health. It was during exploratory surgery to identify the cause of the complications that veterinarians associated with the Isle of Wight Animal Shelter discovered that someone had inserted a 3 to 3-1/2-inch plastic end of a broom handle into Huggles.

The item was removed and Huggles remains in the custody of the local animal rescue, where she is recovering. Deputies are now seeking to identify Huggles’ previous owner.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has offered a $5,000 reward for any information that leads to the arrest of the person responsible for this crime. Anyone with information is asked to contact the crime line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP or the Isle of Wight County Sheriff’s Office at 357-2151. Tipsters can also text a tip to the word CRIMES and in the message field, begin the tip with the letters IOWCL, followed by the tip information.