In a story that went viral, a Jefferson County Sheriff found a dachsund left in a ditch during sub-freezing temperatures for about 12 hours before he was found.
The dog had electrical and duct tape around his mouth and legs and has been reunited with his owner.
The dog - whose name is "Flick" - had "an emotional" reunion with his owner Friday and was headed home. An area funeral home paid for the dog's care.
The sheriff said that Paul Garcia has been charged with felony animal abuse and armed criminal action. Marshak says investigators believe Barnhart taped the dog and threw him out of a window. A motive hasn't been disclosed.
The Sheriff's Office posted the video with the following note:
Flick, a.k.a. “Jimmy,” was given back to his owner today. He was dumped last weekend with tape around his muzzle and paws.
One of our deputies spotted Flick down in a ditch and came to the rescue.
Flick was taken by Jefferson County Animal Control to Ivan Animal Hospital where he was nursed back to health by the good people there. Meanwhile, our detectives and evidence technicians were hard at work to catch... the guy who dumped Flick.
Thanks to some excellent police work, the man we believe is responsible was arrested and charged with animal abuse and armed criminal action.
But, the search was still on for Flick’s owner. And that’s where YOU ALL came to the rescue. Thanks to the thousands of reposts about Flick’s story, today he’s going back home safe and sound.
When there’s a need we can always count on our community and our local news organizations to help spread the word.
Finally, a special thank you to Todd Mahn of Mahn Funeral Homes. He made a donation to cover the cost of Flick’s medical bills.
From the deputy who first spotted Flick, to the detectives and evidence technicians, animal care specialists who took care of Flick and the community who wanted to see him go home, this was truly a team effort.
Thank you all for making this a #HappyEnding.
This is the note about Flick from the vet staff who cared for him over the last few days.
We were waiting to get Jimmy’s owners consent before we made a public post. His owner told us he had broken his leg in the past and we got his previous x-rays a...nd took new x-rays this morning and they matched up perfectly. We can assure you that this is his real owner and she was in tears exited to see him this morning to verify it was actually him. People have been making comments about the reunion video and we just wanted to reassure everyone that he is home. There were 3 different news cameras in her face this afternoon, that can be nerve racking especially if it’s not something you’re used to. Please try to put yourselves in her shoes. Just part of the reunion was caught on camera, the real one was this morning when she came to verify it was him and saw him, but nobody got to see that except us and the detectives present. We appreciate everyone’s concerns. We have follow up visits set up to see him again. His owner is doing everything possible to make sure he’s getting the best care. Thank you all for sharing and helping him find his home!
We would also like to point out that Jimmy isn’t an over excited dog, he’s not a jumper or a licker. He wags his tail a lot and that’s the most emotions we got out of him. He’s very laid back and he’s also older and not a spry little pup. Every dog reacts differently just because it wasn’t what you’re used to doesn’t mean he wasn’t happy. This morning when his owner came in to see him. When she sat down on the ground he walked right up to her and had all the tail wags. Then he plopped down right in front of her and started whining because he was so excited.