A three-month-old puppy with swastikas and an explicit message drawn onto its shaved skin was rescued by an animal shelter in Missouri.
The female pup, that has been named Leslie, was rescued by law enforcement before being handed to the Rescue One shelter home in Springfield.
The shelter home said the puppy had hateful markings all over her body, including swastikas and “don’t feed this (explicit) dog” etched on her skin.
“Just when we think we have seen it all...” said the Rescue One shelter in a Facebook post. “This 3 month old pup was shaved and has swastikas drawn all over her body.”
“We are thankful that law enforcement rescued this dog and that we get to be part of her journey to a great home.
“She is heading for the tub to scrub-a-dub-dub all of this hate off. Only love here.”
In an update of her condition following the rescue, the group said the puppy is “settling in great” and added that the markings faded after several baths.
“She has met some doggie friends, taken lots of naps, and has been helpful at the clinic. We have named her Leslie and she is perfect,” it said.
The incident has outraged animal lovers who said they were “horrified” and “speechless” and demanded the culprit to be punished.
“I’m speechless! People are horrible. I’m glad this poor dog is away from all of that hate and is with Rescue One. Thank you for what you do!” commented Facebook user Brooke Campbell-Schoeberl.
“I’m speechless! People are horrible. I’m glad this poor dog is away from all of that hate and is with Rescue One. Thank you for what you do!” said another user Jeannette Shaw.
The shelter said applications to adopt Leslie have opened and that they were looking forward to finding a loving home for her.