Dog found with zip ties, electrical wire embedded into neck on the mend after being rescued in Plant City

PLANT CITY, Fla. - An injured, stray female dog is in recovery and doing well at the Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center after getting surgery on Monday. 

A student nutrition manager at Bryan Elementary School found the dog on her way to work on February 24, on the side of Henry George Road in Plant City near Old Hopewell Road. 

"I thought that maybe [the dog] had just broken free from a leash," Laura Colding said, "so I wanted to stop and see if the dog had anything." 

What she found instead was distressing. 

"The most awful thing," Colding recalled. "The dog had zip ties that had been hooked together around her neck, and then some type of electrical wire, like maybe a phone cord. And blood was just pouring from her neck. You could see that the zip ties were embedded into her neck. So of course, I couldn't leave the dog like that."

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Colding said the dog was scared but not aggressive, at times even wagging her tail. She called her boss and alerted him she'd be late for work, waiting for two-and-a-half hours until help came. 

A dog found in Plant City with zip ties and an electrical wire embedded into its neck is doing better after being rescued. 

Hillsborough County Animal Control reported that when they arrived, the dog would eat food from their hands but then retreated into the woods when she saw the leash. Officers ended up setting an overnight trap to bring her in for treatment. 

By Saturday morning they were able to take her to the Pet Resource Center – where they removed the wire and zip ties from her neck. She's now recovering from the procedure.

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When asked for her reaction to discovering an animal in such a condition, Colding told FOX 13 News, "I just cannot think of the cruelty that, probably, this dog went through before I even found or how long those zip ties were on her neck, and just not getting any loving and attention. And they're supposed to be man's best friend."

A medical evaluation showed the dog is heartworm positive and will have to undergo treatment for the parasite. 

She received all of her vaccines after her surgery and is now microchipped. 

She's believed to be about two years old, appears to have recently had puppies and weighs just under 48 pounds. 

Dog rescued after being found with zip ties and electrical wire embedded into neck. 

The dog is not currently available for adoption but will be eventually. 

Animal Control said that because the animal was not originally microchipped, they do not know who the owner is, much less who would put zip ties and wires around the neck of an animal. 

An investigation is being opened into who put the zip ties and wire on the dog. Anyone with information is asked to call 813-744-5660. 

Click here to learn more about this dog.