It’s truly upsetting to see how some people can be so unkind to animals. Not long ago, a poor dog was discovered with duct tape wrapped entirely around his head.

Even though it was a heartbreaking scene, this story has a positive resolution in the end.

On April 15th, the Nebraska Humane Society shared this shocking situation. Animal Control was called by someone who heard an animal inside a dumpster; at first, they thought it might be a raccoon but they were shocked to find it was a dog.

The dog’s condition was unbelievable. His head was fully covered with duct tape, his tail was also wrapped, and his legs were taped together. His fur was filled with food and other debris.

“I have never seen anything like it,” said Kevin Wiederin, a staff member who responded, in an interview with KETV. “The entire muzzle was taped, the eyes covered, and its paws taped together.”

“It was the most distressing scene I’ve ever witnessed. Imagining doing something so terrible to a helpless creature is beyond belief,” Kevin added.

It was a true miracle that the dog, later identified as Leo, was found in time. A mere 30 minutes after Animal Control answered the call, a truck came to empty the dumpster.

Once brought to the Nebraska Humane Society, Leo was sedated, and the team began the task of carefully removing the tape. They also had to shave parts of his fur to eliminate all the debris caught in it.

The Humane Society updated on Facebook that although Leo had mild skin irritation, he was “otherwise healthy and was in good spirits,” even wagging his tail once more.

Fortunately, once the tape was removed, the staff discovered a microchip. This revealed Leo’s identity—he had gone missing just a few days prior.

Erin Dillon-Pasillas, Leo’s owner, explained that the dog went missing after slipping out of the house while she took her son to school. She had been frantically searching for him since.

“Each day grew more stressful,” Erin recounted to KETV. “I was desperate while calling various shelters, hoping they had found my dog.”

Once reunited with Leo, Erin was overwhelmed and relieved. “He’s the sweetest dog! I can’t understand why someone would do such a cruel thing,” she said to the Humane Society.

Leo is now on the mend and Erin plans to give him a thorough bath and a check-up at the vet.

The identity of whoever did this to poor Leo remains unknown. There are no surveillance cameras near the dumpster where he was found. Nebraska Humane Society urges anyone with information to contact Animal Services at 402-444-7800, offering a $1,000 reward for any tips leading to an arrest.

This is such a heart-wrenching story—it’s hard to imagine why anyone would treat a sweet dog like Leo in such a way, but we’re grateful he was found in time and is back home. We hope the responsible party is caught and held accountable.

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