MATTHEWS, N.C. — The Matthews pit bull found in the middle of the street, hours from death now has a permanent home.
Echo was adopted by the animal control officer who helped save his life.
Someone found the dog on June 10 on Lakeview Circle. Animal control says he weighed only 23 pounds, was covered in maggots, open wounds, and scars.
They were all signs that Echo was used as a bait dog for dog fighting.
"A lot of times they'll use a dog very submissive like this to go up against the dog they're getting ready to fight. because he won't retaliate. They don't want to hurt their prized dog. So they'll use a dog like Echo to go up against a dog that will continue to fight,” said Jeremy Schnabel, Matthews Animal Control Officer.
Schnabel said there has been no problems. Echo loves his 4-year-old and 11-year-old children and shows no aggression during feeding time. But he still worries about those he can't save.
"It's not just him. there's probably others at the same location who are suffering as well. it would be much better if someone came forward and gave us something,” said Schnabel.
Matthews police have no leads or suspects in Echo's case. The Humane Society of the United States offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to a conviction.
A Go Fund Me page has been setup to help with his recovery.