Cops: Man Taped Dog's Muzzle Tightly Shut for Days

A South Carolina man faces animal-cruelty charges after his young dog was found with her mouth tightly bound with electrical tape, reports the Post and Courier. Authorities think 15-month-old Caitlyn, now under the care of the Charleston Animal Society, was left like that for about two days, with her tongue trapped between her teeth, reports WCIV. Police say William Dodson, 41, bought Caitlyn on the cheap from friends, then taped her muzzle because she wouldn't stop barking. The dog, sold last Monday, returned to the home of her previous owner on Wednesday, and a neighbor's call to 911 provides a sense of the abuse:

"I have a dog that's here at my house that I found and the dog's mouth is taped shut with electrical tape, tongue hanging out its mouth, bleeding, and his tongue is completely black," said the caller. "I just don't know what to do." Caitlyn has had lip surgery, and the shelter is holding off on tongue surgery for now. She "still has a long way to go in her recovery," says a Facebook update by the shelter. Dodson's bail was set at $50,000, but "I don't think $50,000 makes up for all the pain and suffering," says the shelter's investigator. (More animal cruelty stories.)