Tortured dog recovering after surgery; owner says she is filled with anger and rage

On Christmas Eve, Aleks Castellon made a plea on Facebook. Her beloved 8-year-old dog Karrae had been missing five days and she was desperate to find him.

On Saturday, she posted again on Facebook. But her fear had turned into rage.

“Just know whoever u are, karma is coming for you.” Castellon wrote.

Castellon’s brother had found her dog not far from the family’s ranch in Socorro. She said Karrae had been tortured and was barely clinging to life.

“It hurts so much that someone would do that to such an innocent. You know an animal that did nothing to anyone. He doesn’t have any malice. He doesn’t chase other animals, he doesn’t chase chickens. He lives on a ranch full of chickens and ducks and cats and he gets along with everybody,” Castellon said.

Castellon rushed her pet to a vet in Juarez. She said the vet concluded Karrae had been sodomized, burned with tar and dragged along pavement. Castellon said the vet also told her her dog had been muzzled so tight, that at least one tooth was broken. She believes this was done to keep Karrae from biting during the torture.

“It broke my heart. I could not believe that somebody would do something like that. He reeked of gasoline, he had burns on his fur. He had blisters on his paws, his back area was completely destroyed,” Castellon said. “His private parts were bleeding. And it was terrible. He had a gash on the side of his hip. He had tar all over himself.”

The animal, missing for eight days, had been found dehydrated and starving.

“He was shaking, he was broken. And there was nothing I could do. All I could say was that I let that happen. You know, I felt so helpless because I couldn’t do anything,” Castellon said.

Castellon said Karrae’s paws are blistered, parts of his tail are missing and the tar on his eyes has caused severe injuries.

“I was so mad. I was full of rage. I was full of guilt you know because he is my baby. And I let him out in our ranch where I grew up. 27 years and nothing has ever happened like this,” Castellon said.

The dog underwent emergency surgery Tuesday night to determine if he has a bowel blockage. Karrae survived the operation and is recovering at the vet’s office.

Castellon is holding out hope and pleading with the public to come forward with any information on who is responsible.

“What I want is that monster that did this to my dog to be brought to justice, to be punished for his actions. Because this is beyond terrible,” Castellon said. “If he goes free without paying for what he did, he is going to keep doing it and more pets are going to suffer what Karrae went through.”

Thanks to new legislation passed this year, Texans could now face up to 10 years in prison for animal abuse. Repeat offenders could be sentenced with up to 20 years in prison.

If you would like to help with Karrae’s medical expenses, the family has set up a GoFundMe account.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.