Eric Purdue nearly stepped on a severely dehydrated dog Tuesday night in Tucker.
Within 24 hours, the Chow Chow mix died.
The DeKalb County resident told Channel 2 Action News the dog he later named Lulu was buried up to her nose in dirt.
This is where someone buried a dog alive @ItsInDeKalb. She died today. Hear f/ man who tried to save her @wsbtv 5:44p pic.twitter.com/ICP6AKuNCK
— Sophia Choi (@SophiaWSB) June 7, 2017
“Basically her head was sticking out of a hole, the size of a grapefruit,” Purdue said.
He spent the next 30 minutes digging her out of the tightly packed ground.
“It was ridiculous,” Purdue told Channel 2. “Somebody took a lot of time to do a terrible thing.”
Ants crawled over Lulu’s body and face as Purdue wrapped her up and took her with his family to the DeKalb County animal shelter.
He said the recent rain and overcast weather kept Lulu from dying in the hot sun.
The attack shocked a local veterinarian, Dr. Kathryn Haines.
“I've seen a lot of things, but this is a new one for me,” Haines said.
Purdue’s daughter, Ashley, said she is glad her father saved Lulu. “He’s a hero to me,” she said.
The family had planned to adopt her because they felt an emotional bond, Channel 2 reported, but she died Wednesday.
Now, investigators are looking for a suspect for this latest case of animal cruelty.
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