Dog Found With Mouth Taped Shut Now Recovering, Up For Adoption

A dog left to die in the heat at Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness is recovering, and now he's looking for a home.

Turk is a 10-month-old pit bull who's been to hell and back.

Amy Vaughan found him about two weeks ago, walking around the parking lot at Turkey Mountain. He had deep gashes running around his muzzle, and his body was just skin and bones.

She rushed Turk to Bent Arrow Veterinary, where vets made their best guess as to what Turk had been through.

"They told me that he'd had his mouth taped shut," Vaughan explained. "And he'd gotten the tape off on his own, but done a lot of damage in the process."

Vets told Vaughan that Turk's mouth was rotting out. They performed two surgeries to remove the dead tissue. Turk is also missing part of his tongue.

Vaughan believes Turk may have been a bait dog, used to train other pit bulls to fight.

But looking at him now, you'd never know about his terrible past.

"I just teared up. I thought - how could anybody do anything [like this]?" Vaughan said. "The thing is, this dog is the sweetest dog. He hasn't shown any aggression, he's super affectionate."

Turk has been living with Vaughan's family - which includes two teenage boys, two other rescue dogs, and a cat – but he needs a permanent home.

The Animal Rescue Foundation is sponsoring his adoption, and they're hoping for a family with the affection and energy to match Turk's.

To find out more about adopting him, call ARF at 918-622-5962, or visit www.arftulsa.org to fill out an adoption form online.