NC hunter set a trap for coyotes. Then a curious dog wandered up.

A Charlotte hunter was arrested on an animal cruelty charge after a dog lost some of its toes in a trap set for a coyote.

The large brown and black Akita-shepherd mix appeared to have been attached to the trap for several days before Iredell County Animal Control officers found the animal, the (Statesville) Record & Landmark reported.

An investigative report described the dog as emaciated, dehydrated, very weak and in excruciating pain, according to the newspaper. The dog was found on Dec. 14 in woods in the 100 block of Justin Drive, south of Troutman.

Workers treated the dog at the county animal shelter and a rescue group took in the dog, county spokesman Ben Stikeleather told media outlets.

Alex Kraig Cummins, 30, was served an arrest warrant this month for misdemeanor cruelty to animals and was freed on $2,500 bail, jail records show.

Cummins had a hunting license but is accused of failing to check the trap every 24 hours as required by law, the Record & Landmark and Charlotte TV station Fox 46 reported.

"The factors caused suffering for an extended period of time," Stikeleather told the station.

The dog, named Bridger by its rescuers, is being cared for by the Brother Wolf Animal Rescue in Asheville and will eventually be put up for adoption., according to Fox 46.

This story was originally published March 22, 2018 at 8:04 PM with the headline "NC hunter set a trap for coyotes. Then a curious dog wandered up.."