YAVAPAI COUNTY, Ariz. — If anyone has seen a white, pitbull-like lost dog in Yavapai County, authorities urge you to call the Yavapai County Animal Control, as it may have wounds from repeated abuse.
The search for the dog started after a witness account described two dogs being hit and thrown against the ground multiple times by a man near North Yuma Drive and West Road 3. One of the witnesses later stated that one of the dogs, a white pitbull dog, was seen limping away.
Before the witness account was delivered, deputies from the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to a civil order violation of Bryan Ellis, 34, after he violated the conditions of release from a recent jail stay, deputies said.
When deputies arrived at the property, Ellis was not there, deputies said. However, they did find a dog locked in his van without any food or water.
As the investigation continued, deputies began receiving the animal abuse reports describing a man matching Ellis' description hitting and throwing the dogs, the sheriff's office said. They eventually found Ellis walking on a road near that location without either of the dogs.
When questioned, deputies say that Ellis denied taking part in any abuse of the dogs and that they had run off.
One of the dogs, a brown pitbull, was found by the sheriff's office at a nearby home after witness accounts say that Ellis has dragged it along the road, deputies said. The dog had scrapped and bloodied front paws and was bleeding from the mouth.
Ellis was booked by the sheriff's office on charges including animal cruelty and is being held without bond.
YCSO Animal Control can be reached at (928) 771-3595
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