Warning: This video is disturbing.
A dog hurled over a barbed wire fence and abandoned in Riverside County was taken in by a rescue organization.
After video was released of the 8-year-old pup, named Ken, being tossed over the fence and abandoned at a cell tower, an Orange County woman named Jennifer adopted the pit bull, the Riverside County Department of Animal Services tweeted Thursday while showing a picture of the smiling woman alongside Ken.
Animal Services will be pursuing animal cruelty charges against a man who is suspected of throwing the dog over a barbed wire security fence located atop a hill near Flossie Way and Pourroy Road in Winchester on Dec. 15 The name associated with the dog's microchip is 30-year-old Robert Ruiz Jr.
The dog was inside the fence for less than two hours but though he was dehydrated, he was not seriously injured, according to Officer Michael McGee.
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"It is a small miracle that the dog did not sustain serious injuries from the barbed wire or from falling that high," McGee said. He added that authorities are “sure” the man shown on video hurling Ken is his previous owner.
The dog was microchipped and that's how officers were able to find information on a Temecula man associated with the chip. But apparently, he no longer resided there, and the phone number included in the chip did not allow receiving calls.
"We are now moving forward with the warrant search because this person must be held accountable for such a horrific act of willful neglect,” said Josh Sisler, the Riverside County Animal Services commandant.
