Jefferson County, WV – A Jefferson County couple is facing animal cruelty charges after an abused puppy was rescued from outside their apartment complex. According to Rescue Me WV, the puppy, Everett, was emaciated and injured when he was found behind the Apple Tree Apartments where Makayla Hale and Shay Berdeguez lived. The rescue group said:
Everett came to us through Animal Control, who found him in a condition no living soul should ever endure. He was malnourished to the point of starvation, weighing only 6 lbs—when he should weigh at least 15–20 lbs. His body told a silent story of horror and suffering.
Adding:
He had infected wounds in various stages of healing.
🩸 His front paw was injured—likely from being bound.
😔 Worst of all, his muzzle had been tied shut—likely with some type of ligature—causing tissue damage in his mouth and preventing his adult teeth from coming in.
Everett’s snout showed signs of being bound, and his owners admitted to securing his mouth at night to keep him from barking. As reported in The Journal, other animals were seized from the couple’s home. The couple were arrested and arraigned in Jefferson County Magistrate Court on one count of felony cruelty to animals and six counts of misdemeanor cruelty to animals.
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