KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Animal control officers want to find the person who tortured a puppy by hanging it from a wire, television station KMBC reported Tuesday.

Franklin Shull is one of the people who rescued 3-month-old Annaba on Monday. Shull said he found the puppy hanging behind an old building. The dog was struggling to get free from a telephone wire.

"I hear a yipping from around the back," Shull said. "There was a dog hanging from its neck by a phone cord, so I untied him and let him go."

A woman found the puppy with a deep gash around its neck and brought the dog to Wayside Waifs.

"It was quite an amazing thing to see that a puppy this young and with an injury so severe was able to survive," said Courtney Thomas of Wayside Waifs. "We want the person who would do such a horrific thing to a helpless animal to be held accountable for their actions. This kind of abuse is unacceptable, and this puppy deserves justice."

Jennifer Thurman heard about Annaba and wants to adopt the puppy.

"Listening to what happened to her just makes me sick. It saddens me. No animal, no one, deserves that," Thurman said.

Wayside Waifs gave the puppy the name Annaba because it means "spirit of life."

Animal control officers will file charges if they find out who is responsible for hanging the dog. Anyone with information can call Wayside Waifs at 816-761-8151.