Colorado couple finds and adopts abused puppy who had duct tape around mouth, say they were “appalled”

By Olivia Young

A Colorado couple on vacation in San Francisco found a puppy who had been horribly abused. They rescued the pup and ultimately decided to adopt her. For a week now, she has been recovering in Colorado.

To see the pup playing in her Broomfield yard, you’d have no idea what she’s been through. But her name, “Brazen,” reflects how strong she is.

“It just fits her so well. I love the definition being bold and without shame,” said Lina Robles.

The night Robles and her partner, Allison Lopez-Bock, found Brazen is burned into their memory.

Returning to their San Francisco Airbnb after a concert, they saw a flash of black fur running at them.

“We think for sure we’re about to get mauled,” Robles said.

But when the dog got close, the pair realized it was a puppy, with duct tape around her mouth and eyes and a rope around her neck.

“It was horrific. I mean, I was shocked, I was appalled and also just really worried about her,” said Lopez-Bock.

“It was really distressing to see her in that state. She was just whimpering. She just cowered in between my legs,” Robles said.

Immediately, the women carefully removed the tape.

“She made a really big cry when we cut it off,” Robles said.

They brought her inside, cut off the rope, and gave her food and water.

“Immediately just licking us,” said Lopez-Bock.

The next morning, they dropped her off at a shelter and flew home to Colorado.

“At that point, it was just like, this is goodbye,” Robles said.

But they couldn’t get the 4-and-a-half-month-old lab they’d named Brazen off their minds.

When the shelter called to say they were running out of room, the women knew what to do.

“We felt like it was meant to be,” said Lopez-Bock.

They went back to California that day to adopt Brazen themselves.

“It was incredible. Her excitement was off the charts when we first saw her. She was very excited, jumping all over us,” said Lopez-Bock. “It was really sweet. Really cuddly, puppy loving. It was so sweet.”

They also shared Brazen’s story on social media.

“Just the outpouring of support and kind messages, donations, like, even just like people offering to donate their, like, dogs’ old toys to us. It’s just been really moving. I think she’s set for life. She has so much support now,” said Robles.

Brazen has adjusted to her new life in Colorado quickly.

“We went on our first hike this weekend. Took it in the fall foliage. And she had a great time,” Robles said. “We’re loving having her here. And now that we have her, we can’t picture it any other way.”

But a scar on her neck is a reminder of the abuse she endured. The rope had been tied so tight that it caused a laceration and infection.

“I was bawling, like crying so hard, thinking about someone doing that to her and the audacity that anybody has to treat pets that way. It’s so cruel,” said Lopez-Bock.

San Francisco Animal Care & Control told CBS Colorado they took Brazen in on Sept. 7 and treated her for wounds around her neck. They said, “The dog did not have a microchip and there were no cameras in the area the dog was found. We have no leads on who abused the dog and there is no active investigation.”

“I worry that she has a whole litter of puppies that is out there being still abused. So that’s a really big concern of mine,” Robles said.

Robles and Lopez-Bock hope Brazen’s story inspires others to take better care of animals.

“If you have the ability and the time to spend some time with dogs or even better foster dogs, adopt a dog, that that would probably be my biggest message,” Robles said.