Caitlyn, dog whose Charleston abuse case made global headlines, dies

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – The Charleston Animal Society says the dog found a decade ago with its muzzle wrapped in electrical tape has died.

Caitlyn, a Staffordshire terrier mix, died on Sunday after a brief bout of cancer, according to a post shared by the animal shelter. She was believed to be 12 years old.

“She suddenly became ill in the last week and was diagnosed with an advanced and aggressive cancer. As was her nature, she fought until the end,” the Charleston Animal Society said in a post on its Facebook page, quoting the family who adopted her after the animal cruelty case ended.

She was about a year-and-a-half old when she was found in May of 2015 wandering the streets in North Charleston with electrical tape wrapped around her muzzle.

When she wandered onto the porch of a North Charleston home, the tape was wrapped so tightly that her tongue had become trapped between her teeth, cutting off circulation.

At the time she was found, veterinarians said she would soon have died of starvation if she had not been brought in.

Her case gained global attention as posts on social media estimated treatment could cost into the thousands.

Donations came in for the Charleston Animal Society’s “Toby’s Medical Fund,” named for a dog someone threw chemicals on because of excessive barking. Donations to that fund helped pay for Caitlyn’s treatment.

She survived and healed better than expected.

Dr. Henri Bianucci of Veterinary Specialty Care in Mount Pleasant performed surgery on the dog and called her recovery “really amazing.”

Among the procedures Caitlyn’s recovery required were plastic surgery to repair damage to her cheek, multiple laser surgeries to heal facial scars, surgery on a salivary gland that was damaged and multiple hyperbaric oxygen treatments, Charleston Animal Society spokesperson Kay Hyman said in 2015.

After multiple treatments, Caitlyn’s tongue recovered better than anticipated. In a statement during the course of her recovery, Bianucci said Caitlyn’s tongue had sloughed a small area of dead tissue and said the combination of [hyperbaric oxygen therapy] and cold laser therapy “reduced the tissue loss from the tongue to an absolute minimum.”

Caitlyn’s original owner had taken part in a free spay/neuter event held by the Charleston Animal Society, which meant staffers had some initial information about the dog, including its age at the time she was brought in. From there, investigators were able to reach the family that had brought her in for the spay procedure, who told them they had sold the dog to a different owner who was later accused of taping her muzzle allegedly because the dog would not stop barking.

He was charged and later sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted on a charge of animal cruelty.

Caitlyn thrived in her new life, first with foster families and then with her “forever home.” Her fame even led to her appearance in a firefighter calendar to raise money for the Charleston Animal Society.

The family who adopted Caitlyn called her “a tremendous blessing and a gift” they cherished and loved every day.

“We remain very proud of the work done on her case and the ongoing work we are involved in related to animal welfare and combating cruelty,” the Facebook post states. “However, as proud as we are of bringing justice to her, what we are proudest of is being her family and having had her in our lives for as long we did.”

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