An injured dog found with a jar on its head is on its way to recovery at a local animal hospital. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.
A black Labrador Retriever that was found with a plastic jar stuck around his head and cuts to one of his paws is doing well after surgery, according to volunteers from a North Texas animal group.

Animal Allies of Texas
Because the jar prevented him from eating or drinking, rescuers said Pappy was severely malnourished and underweight when they took him in.
Rescuers suspect someone cut the animal's paw so his blood would attract other dogs being trained to fight, and the jar kept him from fighting back.
After receiving a call from a woman who found the dog, now named "Pappy," wandering the streets of Oak Cliff, Texas, rescuers from Animal Allies of Texas were able to catch him on Monday and take him to the vet.
Pappy had fleas and ticks and was severely dehydrated and emaciated when he was found. Rescuers said the jar prevented him from eating or drinking, and he weighed 65 lbs. when he should have weighed 90 lbs.
In addition to the jar, rescuers said Pappy had bite marks on him, which they say are evidence he may have been used as a bait dog in a dog-fighting ring.
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“This was deliberate. The bottom of the jar had been cut out so he would not be able to get out himself,” an Animal Allies of Texas volunteer, Melody Hamilton, told NBC News. “In my opinion, he was thrown into a situation where he was made to provoke another dog to fight.”

Animal Allies of Texas
After removing the jar, veterinarians had to amputate one of Pappy's toes that had been badly injured
Rescuers removed the jar, and on Wednesday, the lab-mix had surgery at Metro Paws Animal Hospital to amputate the first toe on his left paw. Hamilton said she suspects Pappy will stay there for a few more days to recover.
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Hamilton said as Pappy’s physical condition stabilizes, vets and volunteers will shift their focus to his emotional state.
“Dog fighting is rampant in all socio-economic areas,” Hamilton said. “Lucky for him, he escaped that situation. Now it’s a matter of dealing with all of the emotional distress.”
After Pappy has had all of his medical treatment, Animal Allies of Texas will be looking for someone to adopt him.
They are currently accepting donations to help with Pappy’s hospital bills.
Elvira Sakmari of NBC Dallas-Ft. Worth contributed to this report.

Animal Allies of Texas
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If what was suspected is, indeed, what happened, I'd suggest doing the same thing to the person who did it. But a plastic jar on their head, cut their hand and then throw them into shark-infested waters.
It really makes you wonder how far better off "life" would be on earth without humans.
Tougher laws need to be enacted to help stop some of this utterly insane practice. Anyone who hurts an animal will hurt people and are severely handicapped in regards to mental capacity. There is right and there is wrong. I had to put a black Lab down this spring after having her for 13 years, and I could not have asked for a better dog or a companion. Any dog that loves their owner unconditionally deserves better and this poor dog damn sure deserved better than what he received. I hope the rest of his life is a great one and that they find the idiot who did this and lock them up. Anyone who goes to a dog and or /cock fight and thinks it is fun or is a sport has some serious issues. People also need to get more involved and report anything suspicious. A watchful community can shut a lot of this crap down.
They need to bait these people for real!!! they know they got this one some one did now they will move on to some where else. Where ever it is I hope they get bit and mulled real good perhaps by a pack of wild dogs would be real good. I would love to catch them around here they would be eaten lots of lead out of there behind, I really don't care who knows it. My land so stay the heck off.
This story just leads me to believe that the human race is indeed lost...
No one in their right frame of mind could do this to a poor defenseless animal.
Jesus can't come soon enough.
The 'humans' who do despicable things like this are also capable of killing little children in drive-by shootings. Oak Cliff is a gangland haven and those are the a$$holes who also engage in dog fighting. Human filth.
Well.....somethings that make you go ..WTF
Supreme Court strikes down law banning dogfight videos
By Bill Mears
April 20, 2010|
The Supreme Court has struck down a federal law designed to stop the sale and marketing of videos showing dogfights and other acts of animal cruelty, saying it is an unconstitutional violation of free speech.
The 8-1 decision was a defeat for animal rights groups and congressional sponsors of the unusual legislation.
The specific case before the court dealt with tapes showing pit bulldogs attacking other animals and one another in staged confrontations.
The justices Tuesday concluded the scope and intent of the decade-old statute was overly broad.
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-04-20/justice/dog.fight.videos_1_animal-cruelty-dogfighting-supreme-court?_s=PM:CRIME
Time to get a new court.
Did you notice this in the article you posted Amunaka?
The 8-1 decision was a defeat for animal rights groups and congressional sponsors of the unusual legislation
Only evil, cold, callous, vile and vicious monsters could do this to an animal. Those monsters need to be removed from society, quickly and quietly (leaving no remains to be found).
Should send him to mars
Only the scum of the earth hurt animals. I hope whoever did this gets what they deserve - and then some...
I don't understand how anyone could do something so cruel.
Do the same to him as he did the dog..... after putting the jar on his head and cutting his hand, throw him in with the dogs......
what bastards. poor Pappy you are such a beauty and i hope he finds a forever home with a loving owner.
Simply unbelievable. I cant imagine what sort of warped person could do such a thing. It makes me sick. I usually wouldn't wish bad things on anyone, but whoever would do such a thing deserves the worst that life has. We love our dogs so much and they bring us so much joy.
I am beyond livid! I would love to put a plastic jar on the creeps head that did this, and beat that jar with a bat like a pinata...
RD... you are so right on...love the pinata idea, I have a bat and would gladly volunteer my time!
Disgusting bas***ds. Looking at Pappy's sweet face, God love him and I pray he finds his loving forever home. The more I read of horrible, cruel things like this the more I dislike humans! Much prefer the company of my dogs.
this kind of stuff gets me so angry I cant even think to put sentances together for this post lol...I hope one day I happen across a dogfight arena/training site so I can have the choice to do the kinds of things to these people Ive always wanted....for a few hours, then I'll call the cops; )
How can any thinking, feeling human being do this to such a beautiful dog?! The only animal that I'll ever fear, and never understand, is of the human variety. I hope there's an extra warm spot in hell for the animals that did this. Heartbreaking . . . truly, truly heartbreaking.
This saddens my heart to know this goes on. Poor Pappy. Hope he gets a good home which ALL animals deserve... And I hope the Bastards that continue to fight dogs get what they deserve, Jail...
This is absolutely vile.
This is so heartbreaking. These animal cruelty stories just tear at my soul. I hope Pappy finds a forever home soon and learns that people really can love and give compassion to the fur faces of the world.
I'm always in shock and numb every time I read of something like this, I never quite get inured. It haunts, terrible, we have three dogs, 1 bird we love very much. We had a Lab named Duna who grew up with oldest son, Duna passed at 18 and my son is now 25 and still not really over it. Such cruelty unfathomable, that's why I have a giant problem every time I see Michael Vick or hears his name, can't stand such behavior being rewarded.
Is Vick really that good of a player? Or is there another reason why the media keeps him up front?
Yeah I thought of Vick as well when I read this article. I swear I just don't understand how any human being could live with themselves after doing this type of thing to a defenseless animal. Some people are so damn cruel.
Horror of horrors. Mankind can be so cruel. For us that love animals, this is inconceivable. There is not enough punishment for those who abuse animals and children.
I can't even imagine the mind of someone who would do such an inhumane thing to any form of living thing. They are living their hell on earth.
I agree and someday in the future whomever did it will also live a hell that they can't even begin to imagine. There are stories of people who don't like cats so they use them for target practice. Or they throw them off of overpasses onto the interstate. God gave man dominion over the animals and it looks like that is another thing we have totally screwed up and gotten wrong. Enough is enough. If people don't start taking a serious look around and start changing some things, we are going to completely destroy our planet and our entire race. Stop the insanity.
man's best friend. betrayed. may god have mercey on all our souls. as these companion animals were provided to comfort us, especially now in these horrid times near the end of this system of things. stories like this end up ruining the rest of my day as I weep.
Ceasar Milan, says that dogs live in the now unlike people, and for this beautiful dog I am glad this is the case and so that he can start life a new. My prayers is that Mr. Milan would take on this dog to rehabilitate him and can find him a home that will be stable and ever lasting.
Finally, what is wrong with people these days there is so much animal and child cruelty going on and it is just growing rapidly. Have people lost their morals and sense of right?
Cesar may say that, but it's not entirely true. Every dog I've known has had a long memory when it comes to bad experiences. Just like humans, dogs get PTSD, and it can affect them for life. Having a good home will help the healing process, but this dog may never be able to be around other dogs again.
I agree with CJ. I have adopted rescued dogs for 20 years and I know when their reactions are tied to the past. Whenever you see a dog flinch or cringe when someone goes to lovingly pet him you know it is a reaction to being beaten in the past.
Speaking of being beaten...sure would love to run into the a$$hole who did this to Pappy.
i agree with quietly remove them from soceity with no traces to be found.
gambiling addiction starts out legally at the tribal casinos, and then can get to the ''dark-side'' such as this. everyone, please avoid gambiling at all costs.
I hope that the ignorant, pathetic, evil piece if garbage who did this to this poor dog dies the most atrocious death imaginable.
To think that they call dog fighting, cock fighting etc etc a sport just makes me sick.
The only way I see this being a sport is if they put the human in the ring with these viscous dogs to fight, the human gets no weapon as the dog doesn't get any!
These people who arrange these fights (promoters) and even the guests/bettors are just as sick and we don't have enough prisons to put them all in. When will society wake up and start sending these lowlifes to prison for serious jail time with huge fines as well. These lowlifes are also some of the worst criminals out there as they have no feelings for there fellow man, only themselves. Some of these types also turn there attention to kids and adults down the road. Sick people period.
I'd like to take all these lowlifes and smear them with blood and put them all out deep in the woods with a bunch of hungry wolves packs nearby to stalk them. Lets see how they enjoy the sport of nature in its finest. Maybe even add a few black bears, lions, gorillas etc to the list just to make there experience as fun as they did for the poor animals they have injured or killed in the ring..
Face it, society lets them off with small fines, short if any jail time and its time we deal with them properly. If they survive the outing in the woods with the wild animals then lets see if they change there ways and if they don't well send them back to the woods with there hands tied behind there backs.
Oh by the way, I am indeed an animal lover and I am sick of these types of people and there sick jollies.
Someone helped this dog, that makes me feel good! Hope he find a loving home! The rest of you spit out the evil for me today.
be scared when satan is in the driver's seat, as in these troubled times. getting hard to turn-on t.v. open the news-paper, or get on the net-news. so sad times.
what makes this even scarier, hitler would of had them all hung with piano-wire, as he loved dogs, and all animals, but had severe problems with race, and religion differences. now thats how bad these dog-fight people are!
After considering this characteristic about Hitler off and on, many times, I would not call it love.
And yet he used Blondi to test his cyanide capsules and had her puppies shot so I wouldn't say he love animals.
Not too long ago Louisiana finally banned cock fighting, one of the esteemed republican state rep. tried to halt the ban by stating it was a cultural thing with Louisianians and it created jobs. I kid you not, we escaped from Covington, LA. two years ago, wow, I went through tremendous culture shock there. another loon, this time I believe he's a US, Republican Rep., from I believe Wyoming named of Steve King, he's all for dog fighting, check him out on google. Two truly disgusting individuals.
Raid, I play the slots, penny machines on occasion and enjoy it, most of the time I walk away with my seed money. Cruelty is like any other addiction its an equal opportunity inflicter.
skyparrot, Steve King is a represenative from Iowa not Wyoming. Please get your facts straight as a Wyoming native I hate being compaired to barbarians. We may have our problems but Steve King is not one of them :-)
And where would we send the donations? Is there not a website or something to donate at? We have a donation website for a bullied school bus driver but not for Pappy?!
Give to your local animal shelter instead!. Animal shelters almost always struggle to meet financial ends, and I guarantee you they know their share of horror stories. You can even specify that your donation go into a particular fund, like rehibilitation of abused animals or spaying/neutering services.
The problem with donations for the subjects of news stories is that often, all this money ends up going to one program that ends up with too much, while other equally worthy programs are starved. (The bullied school bus monitor ended up giving a lot of her money away, too.)
Animal Allies of Texas. They have a Paypal option on their website.
Thanks, Miriam!
I was wondering the same thing! Why say they are accepting donations without giving a link or clear way to donate. Thanks Miriam
Give to PETA and the NRDC too, while you're at it. They may go overboard sometimes, but they are the only organizations willing to take the REAL kind of action needed to stop animal cruelty in all its forms. Support your local shelters at the ground level and affect public policy through activist groups so that these sadistic human animals get what's coming to them.