Admin
Jun 27, 20172 min
Guam – A retired 'K9' customs dog was discovered severely injured in Umatac in
the early evening on Saturday, June 24, 2017.
Saturday evening, Guam Animals In Need received a call about an injured dog in Umatac.
Three GAIN staff members drove from the Yigo shelter to Umatac, to meet with concerned citizens
and assist in getting the dog medical care.
When staff arrived, the dog,(a black Labrador Retriever later identified as Toya, had made her
way to the far end of the beach at Umatac Bay. As it became darker, the rocky terrain made it
difficult to find her her. After scouring the beach for nearly 2 hours, staff and volunteers saw
movement and discovered her underneath several palm fronds among the large beach rocks.
Toya had a very large and gaping laceration on her left side, possibly from a large and sharp
object such as a machete. GAIN staff and the concerned citizens created a makeshift stretcher
out of a blanket to hoist her back to the car as she was in too much pain to walk on her own.
Upon reaching the GAIN animal shelter shortly after, a careful medical examination revealed
that Toya’s injuries were extremely severe and she could not be saved. In order to end her
suffering, she was humanely put to sleep.
“This is a heartbreaking incident, and our hearts go out to Toya’s family and all those she served,”
said GAIN Executive Director Alison Hadley.
“We sincerely thank the public, and our staff and volunteers, for helping Toya in her final moments,”
said GAIN Board President, Cyrus Luhr. “And, we remind the public to be vigilant in reporting
cases of animal abuse to the proper authorities.”
As a customs dog, Toya served the island of Guam for many years. Her family has taken her to
be cremated and her ashes will be spread in a ceremony with her fellow K9 Customs comrades
present.