You may remember the story of Justice, another innocent victim of having his snout viciously taped shut. Now, this “poster dog” from Ontario, Canada is helping to raise money to end animal cruelty!
As the story goes, Justice’s family had just had a baby, who turned out to be allergic to dogs. Too heartbroken to take their pet to the shelter, the couple asked family friend Michael Earl Hill to bring the dog for them, and provided the $60 surrender fee. But Hill opted to pocket the cash, bind the dog’s muzzle and limbs with electrical tape, and leave him to die.
Luckily the dog, now named Justice, was found in the nick of time and taken to the Windsor/Essex County Humane Society. The case brought awareness to animal cruelty laws that were lacking, and the pup became the “poster dog” to bring justice to other innocent four-legged victims.
In the end, the abuser plead guilty to “causing unnecessary suffering to an animal” and was sentenced to two years in federal prison followed by three years probation. Additionally, he cannot own any pets for 25 years. Though it doesn’t seem like much, the fact that Hill got jail time is a pretty big deal, and it’s definitely a step in the right direction towards punishing abusers.
Following the landmark court case, things got even better for Justice. He went on to be fostered by a wonderful family, who became “foster failures” and ended up giving him the forever home that he deserved.
Now the pup, who’s something of a local celebrity, has inspired a charitable cause this holiday season. The humane society decided to sell adorable plush replicas of the brave boy to help benefit the cause that he represents. Each stuffed animal costs $30, and proceeds go to help animal cruelty investigations, as well as four-legged victims in need of recovery. The plush toy even has the scar that Justice bears on his nose, and he’s decked out in a bright blue bandana! You can get yours here.
While no animal deserves to be treated with cruelty, we’re so glad that Justice has been able to use his scars for a good cause! This persevering pup certainly found his happy ending, and he couldn’t be more deserving.
