The dog's owner says the dog's leg had gangrene -- and he didn't have the money to pay a veterinarian so he did it himself. "I used tooth ache medicine for your gums for teething."

After a dog was discovered with its back leg amputated, the Michigan Humane Society is calling it animal cruelty while the dog's owner says he was just trying to save the animal's life.

Dog's leg amputated with garden shears, kitchen knife in Hamtramck

Charles Wofford says he cut off Blackie's right back leg using gardening shears and a kitchen knife, according to the humane society, because it had been infected with gangrene after getting in a fight with some other dogs.

The man says he didn't have the money to pay a veterinarian, so he did it himself.

"I used tooth ache medicine for your gums for teething, I put that around there. I was able to cut around the bone as clean as possible and I was eventually able to take the leg off," he said.


Wofford says he did it inside his Hamtramck home at Holbrook and Conant earlier this week. The Michigan Humane Society found out what happened and took the black lab from Wofford on Wednesday.

"I've been in animal welfare roughly 20 years and much has been spent doing animal cruelty investigations, and I'm not sure I've ever seen an animal that has been forced to endure such incredible suffering. This is truly torture," said Matt Pepper, president CEO of the Michigan Humane Society.

But Wofford said the dog was in no pain at all. He says he kept the dog's amputated leg in a plastic bag and handed it over to the humane society when they took the dog.

The silver lining to this story is the dog is receiving care from the humane society and he's expected to recover.

Meanwhile Wofford hasn't been arrested or charged with a crime yet.

"I ask the public to forgive me for what I've done and try and understand that I love my dog and I wasn't trying to do it in the best welfare for my animal," he said,

Pepper says for anyone who may see this story and be in a similar situation -- the Michigan Humane Society is here to help.