RJ Wolcott

Lansing State Journal

EAST LANSING — Two surgeons from Michigan State University's College of Veterinary Medicine successfully performed surgery Wednesday on a dog found mutilated on the city's southwest side.

Dr. Bryden Stanley, a soft tissue surgery specialist at MSU, led efforts to reconstruct the muzzle of Baron, a brown rottweiler-mix rescued last month.

Baron was found in January after having his ears and nose cut off. He was taken in by the Michigan Humane Society in Detroit, said Kathy Bilitzke, director of communications and marketing for the agency. Baron also suffered lacerations to his legs and his tail was damaged.

While Baron’s trauma was significant, Stanley said he healed very well prior to surgery. She’s worked on numerous abused animals during her time at MSU, which began in 1998.

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“Someone was extremely cruel to this animal,” she said.

During surgery, Stanley worked to attach two flaps of skin on Baron’s muzzle to create a new top of his nose. She also linked a piece of skin near his lip to shrink the nasal passage.

Robert Fisher, Michigan Humane Society’s chief medical officer, fixed issues with Barron’s tail by removing all but three inches of it. The pair was assisted by Maria Podsiedlik, who is at MSU on an international fellowship program.

Doctors opted not to reconstruct the flaps of Baron's ears because they healed well, Stanley said.

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Baron will have a fantastic quality of life once he’s recovered from surgery, Stanley added.

“I think his muzzle looks quite good, and it’ll be even better once his fur grows back,” she said.

The Michigan Humane Society has seen an uptick in donations following Baron’s arrival and subsequent news reports about him, Bilitzke said. Many who’ve called in about Baron have contributed toward a reward being offered for the arrest of the person or persons who injured the dog.

What started out as a $2,500 reward has risen to just north of $40,000, Bilitzke said.

"We continue to receive tips and we're following up on each one," she added.

More than 30 people have already filled out adoption applications for Baron. He'll need time to recover following the surgery before he can be adopted, Bilitzke said. She said Baron, who human society staff estimated at around 8-years-old, is friendly and approachable.

[Meantime, an emaciated dog was found abandoned in Pontiac with a 15-foot rope around its neck. Read more here]

Contact RJ Wolcott at 517-377-1026 or rwolcott@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @wolcottr.

Donating to Baron

To contribute toward the reward for those who maimed Baron, visit http://bit.ly/2kO7ad8