YORK, Pa. - The pit bull that was beaten in a video posted online continued his recovery Tuesday.
There was hope that Bugs could be shown to the public Tuesday night, but the York County SPCA said he was not quite ready for his moment in the spotlight after undergoing surgery in the afternoon.
“Bugs seems pretty well adjusted, [and] he doesn't seem scared of us,” Melissa Smith, the organization’s executive director, said. “We are going to be looking for any injuries on him, internal injuries, broken ribs, bruising.”
The SPCA is working to complete a full veterinarian's report before filing any charges against the man in the video, who still has not been identified by authorities. Smith says the man was not at the home when humane officers showed up Monday afternoon, but a woman who lives at the home signed custody over to the SPCA of Bugs and his daughter, Willa.
“Regardless of what he's been through in his life, that's not going to affect him long-term and we are able to get him into a place where he's going to be rehabilitated and no worse for wear,” Smith said.
Many shelters and rescues both locally and nationwide have offered to take care of Bugs and Willa if necessary.
“We'll place him in the foster and then eventually place him up for adoption, but we want to make sure that we help him to work through whatever he's been through because obviously, you know, those types of things do have an effect,” Smith said.
Although this case has brought so much attention to animal cruelty, workers are hoping things eventually calm back down again.
“It has affected our operations here because we have just been inundated with calls and emails and while we certainly appreciate the outcry and we agree, there's a lot going on here and a lot we need to attend to,” Smith said.