Devastated dog leads group to where his canine friend had been hanged to death by sadists in remote woodland

A grieving pit bull led local shelter workers in Kentucky to a dog found hanging in a forest not far from their shelter.

Earlier this month, managers at the Floyd County Animal Shelter noticed someone had dumped spoiled meat on a path behind their business, which is often used by volunteers to walk the shelter’s dogs.

Elexis Craft and Allison Cobern, who manage the facility, reported the litter to Prestonburg County because they didn’t want one of their shelter dogs to eat it.

But when they came back to see if the rotten flesh had been removed, they discovered something much worse.

They realized that something had eaten parts of the spoiled food and soon found a stray pit bull on the trail.

The poor pup led shelter workers to his friend, who had been dead for days after being tightly tied to a tree

The abandoned dog seemed nervous and kept trying to lead the shelter managers down the path.

‘You could tell something was really bothering him, and he kept barking at us, walking towards us and then running. So Lexi and I said, ‘Let’s take a look around,'” Cobern told Eastern Kentucky’s WYMT.

The dog immediately led the pair to a nearby ditch, where they encountered a gruesome scene: another pit bull that appeared to be tied by its neck to a tree with no slack in the rope.

Craft said the dog was left in a place “where they never wanted us to find it.”

“As soon as I saw it, I couldn’t stop saying, ‘Oh my God. Oh my God.’ It didn’t feel real to me to see him hanging there,” she said.

The women both walked over to the animal, only to realize that it was dead and had apparently been dead for some time.

‘We both stood there for a few minutes, completely in shock. Seeing him and the condition he was in, I mean, it was one of the most horrific sights I’ve ever seen,” Craft said.

The dog’s face was “beaten up,” Cobern said. ‘Maybe they hit him. We do not know. There are claw marks on the tree where he was trying his best to just breathe, just to live a little longer,” she said, crying.

The first dog, who the shelter named Ludwik, was eventually led away from his friend, who the shelter now calls Nakusha.

After alerting the authorities, Elexis and Allison removed the body themselves, hating the idea of ​​leaving him there any longer.

The shelter circulated what happened on their social media accounts, hoping to gain information about what may have happened and who is responsible for Nakusha’s death.

Craft and Cobern say their post immediately began gaining traction and has led to many donations to help with vet bills for Ludwik.

An anonymous donor also covered the costs for Nakusha’s cremation, whose remains will be placed in a small urn that can be attached to Ludwik’s collar so the couple can remain together.

The pit bull, who has since been named Ludwik and adopted, would not leave his friend’s side, who had been decomposing for several days when shelter workers reached him.

The Floyd County Animal Shelter is seeking justice for the other dog – who they have named Nakusha – they are asking anyone with potentially helpful information to call them

The shelter is still looking for answers about what happened to Nakusha, but Ludwik, they report, has already been adopted into a forever home.

‘We just want to ensure that those animals are well cared for in the future. And that’s all we’re here for is to try to combat animal cruelty in Floyd County because it’s absolutely heinous,” Craft said.

The organization is still asking the public for any information that could lead them to the person or persons responsible for Nakusha’s gruesome death and Ludwik’s abandonment.

Last weekend, the shelter hosted a successful fundraiser in honor of Nakusha, and some donors also sent money to be used as a reward for the person who leads local authorities to the responsible party.

Craft said, “Even if you’re not sure if it would help, it can help. We’ll take all the information you have.’