A pit bull, who was a dog fighting victim, is healing after being rescued from the side of a Alabama road by two police officers.
As Anniston police officers Matthew Preuninger and Brian Scott approached the dog they saw he was covered in blood, had a swollen head with holes in it, visible ribs, and swelled jowls, reported ABC 3340.
"It looked like a fight wound because there was a top bite and a lower bite, especially the top bite was the most infected and it looked like another dog had just bitten him in the face," Beam told ABC 3340.
The partners took the dog in a cardboard box to Dr. Tom Beam at Anniston Veterinary Hospital.
The dog was likely used as a bait dog because he made it out alive and is not aggressive. These dogs are usually abandoned after they are done being used to train bigger fighting dogs, Beam explained to ABC 3340.
It's usually hard to find adoptive parents for these dogs because people are afraid they will turn aggressive.
Preuninger ended up adopting the pup and named him Phil. He said once he told his wife of the story she insisted that they keep him.
"That made me happy because I wanted him," Preuninger told ABC 3340. "It was my partner's and my responsibility to bring him here. I wanted to see him get the best care he needed and I wanted to be that one."
Police are looking for the people held responsible for Phil's dog fighting incident to build a case against them.
