Rescued and Adoptable: Liora the Dog Brightens Even the Darkest Corners
They smelled it before they saw it: infection. Instantly, fieldworkers knew they would find a severe wound somewhere on Cinnamon, a sweet-natured dog PETA’s field team had been visiting in Bertie County, North Carolina, for more than a year and who—since puppyhood—had been forced to live outside. The source of the rancid smell of decay, fieldworkers quickly discovered, was an embedded collar.
As if an embedded collar weren’t torturous enough—not to mention the general neglect Cinnamon was subject to day in and day out—a snowstorm had just rolled through PETA’s field team’s service area. On what turned out to be her rescue day, fieldworkers were visiting Cinnamon to bring her insulating straw, replace her ice block of a bucket with fresh water, and provide her with the love and attention she and all dogs deserve every day.
Cinnamon, you see, had always been a bit of a fieldworker favorite.
Despite fieldworkers’ countless pleas, for more than a year, Cinnamon’s owners refused to allow PETA the chance to do better for the sweet dog. But the embedded collar changed everything.
In a jurisdiction where keeping dogs tied up or chained outdoors 24/7 is still permitted, PETA’s fieldworkers are sometimes forced to do whatever they can just to make life a little less hellish for dogs—that is, until their owners finally agree to relinquish custody. But a massive, reeking, impossible-to-ignore infected wound—fieldworkers were certain—was an atrocity that law-enforcement officials would find actionable. So PETA immediately alerted the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office, and multiple deputies quickly met fieldworkers at the scene. With the deputies’ assistance, Cinnamon’s owners finally granted PETA permission to take custody of the dog—and, mere days later, Bertie County Sheriff’s Office charged Cinnamon’s owner with cruelty to animals. Fieldworkers rushed Cinnamon to an emergency veterinary clinic, and following a sensitive surgery, Cinnamon was officially embedded collar–free.
With new digs and a new leash on life, Cinnamon—who appeared to have no allegiance to the moniker her former owners had given her and evidently never called her—seemed deserving of a new name, too. Inspired by the dog’s light shining bright despite the darkest start to life, one of the fieldworkers who rescued Cinnamon and rushed her for emergency care dubbed the perky pup Liora, or “my light.”
Although she can be a little shy at first, Liora’s sparkly personality ultimately dazzles everyone she meets. She seems equally as happy going for a walk or playing with a toy as she does showing off her skills as the world’s best snuggler and snoozer. Liora is roughly 2 years old and 23 pounds, and everyone’s best guess—including her urgent care veterinarian’s—is that she is a pit bull–beagle mixed breed dog. But most importantly, she is a loving individual who deserves the very best.
Are You Looking to Add a Little Lotta Light to Your Life?
Liora will be spayed and fully vaccinated prior to adoption. Despite the pain that the embedded collar must’ve caused her, Liora’s veterinary cheerleaders confirm that her neck is well on its way to being fully healed. Fieldworkers are eager to taxi lively Liora to the cozy indoor home that we’ve been pushing for her to score since day one. (So long as this home is on or near the East Coast!) So if you think you’re the very best for Liora, shine your own light over to [email protected]:
Cinnamon’s case and recent ones like it prompted PETA last week to call on Bertie County officials to put in place an emergency ban on keeping animals outdoors. Meanwhile, Cinnamon’s former owner is due in court next month. Follow PETA on Instagram and Facebook for updates on Cinnamon’s case, and discover how you, too, can help dogs who are left outside.
