When Summer Jones of Luling saw Mardi Gras beads hanging out the passenger window of a car on Gassen Street on Oct. 7, she thought a stuffed animal was tied to the end of the beads.
But then she saw the animal move, and she knew it was a puppy being dragged along the road. For over a block and a half, Jones followed the car, honking her horn and yelling for the car to stop.
“I was just in disbelief,” Jones said. “I didn’t know what to think. I just thought, get this puppy help.”
When the driver, Tammy Veillon of Luling, finally stopped her car, Jones went to her passenger window, bent down and touched the puppy. She could tell the puppy was still breathing, but she noticed blood was now on her hand.
“I yelled at her, ‘you’re killing this dog!’” Jones said.
Jones said she told Veillon to take the dog to a veterinarian or shelter, and she took photos of the puppy with her phone. But Veillon got back in her car and drove away, with the puppy still hanging from the car.
“I left my car in the road, with the door open,” Jones said. “I ran after her screaming, pleading with her to stop the car.”
Veillon stopped her car again and got out of the vehicle. Another witness untangled the puppy and put the puppy in an open box. Jones called 911.
“I was angry and shaking,” Jones said. “How could you even think to do this. It took me so long to get her to stop. How long was she doing this before I saw her?”
Jones said she was afraid to touch the puppy because her wounds and injuries were so severe. The puppy was in the box, panting.
“But she still had this innocent, forgiving puppy face,” Jones said.
The puppy, a pit-mix, suffered blunt trauma to her chest and severe skin trauma to over 75 percent of her body, according to the St. Charles Parish Animal Shelter, where she is now recovering.
The St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office charged Veillon with aggravated cruelty to animals, according to Sgt. Jenni Barrette, a spokesperson for the office.
After the animal shelter shared the puppy’s story online, St. Charles Parish residents donated rotisserie chickens, manuka honey, blankets, rice and other items. A naming contest brought in more supplies, like peanut butter, puppy pads and humidifiers, according to Francesca Blanchard, a spokesperson for the parish. The contest gave the puppy a name – Honey – and raised $610.
Residents can meet Honey on Saturday, Oct. 26 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the shelter. The shelter is organizing the meet and greet to thank the community for coming together to help Honey get better, according to a statement on the shelter’s Facebook page.
Jones has already visited Honey twice, and she has applied to adopt her.
“We have two dogs from the shelter and a cat,” Jones said. “So, she would complete our family.”
Jones said she felt relieved when she saw Honey at the shelter.
“She looked so much better than I could ever imagine,” Jones said. “The care she has received and how much she has healed. She looks great. She is feisty, chewing on you like a little puppy.”
