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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Hotshot was gone for less than 24 hours, but whatever happened that night nearly killed him.

Sonja Waldrop said her 9-year-old, 30-pound pug disappeared from her front yard in the far southeastern edge of the city on Oct. 12.

When she picked him up at a West Side shelter the next day, he had been severely bitten, was missing seven teeth, and his neck had been slit from ear to ear to remove his identifying microchip. He was found 17 miles from home.

Waldrop said the shelter veterinarian told her the injuries suggested he had been used as training bait for a fighting dog.

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There have been roughly a dozen cases of dog thefts in recent months that could indicate dogfighting activity, Sgt. Aaron Williamson, a spokesman for the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, said this week. Both bully breeds and smaller pets that could be used as bait dogs have gone missing, he said.

Since Hotshot was stolen, Waldrop said she has heard about other dogs that were taken from her neighborhood and throughout the city.

This apparent rash of dognappings in recent months prompted Mayor Richard Berry to announce a $5,000 reward pool for information leading to an arrest and conviction for the thefts. The money comes from the mayor’s discretionary fund.

“This fulfills two purposes,” Berry said in an interview. “First, it stops individual acts of violence against families and their pets. Second, it will go after a much broader situation. If we end up having a dogfighting ring, we can disrupt it and get some convictions.”

The quality of information a person provides will determine the amount of reward. Tipsters should call 242-COPS.

“We should be judged on how we treat our animals and this is absolutely unacceptable behavior,” Berry said. “It personally makes me mad. I’m going to do what I can from the Mayor’s Office to put a stop to it, but I need the community’s help.”

Hotshot’s road to recovery included two breathing tubes and three surgeries. The Waldrops’ neighborhood pitched in and raised $700 – enough to cover the cost of one surgery.

The once cuddly pug still doesn’t like to be approached from behind or the side, Waldrop said, and it was a couple months before he stopped being afraid of all men.

“I’d like to do to them what they did to my dog,” Waldrop said about whoever hurt Hotshot. “Why and how could you take something so sweet and try to kill it in the most inhumane way. It’s just disgusting.”