LAWRENCE COUNTY, Ohio (WSAZ) -- The owners of Hammer, a golden retriever found with a chain embedded in his neck, spoke Thursday about his extreme neglect.

The story first was broadcast Tuesday on WSAZ NewsChannel 3 and here at WSAZ.com.

“I got him from my aunt for Christmas of 2005," Amber Skinner said about Hammer. "He was really loud and hyper. He was nice; he was a great dog."

That's why Amber is so disturbed by what happened to Hammer, her former beloved pet. He had belonged to her and her father, Bruce Skinner.

Amber said she no longer lives with the dog or her dad. She visits them periodically and recalls their last visit three months ago.

“We went to his house to feed (Hammer) real quick because he's living with his girlfriend, and they're not allowed to have pets," Amber said. "We were visiting the dog. He still had the chain and everything, and I would go to loosen it up, and he would get out and try to run away. Dad told me not to do that.”

Three months later, the results turned tragic. Hammer had endured a heavy chain wrapped so tightly around his neck that it cut through the skin. The skin had been broken for so long that it closed around the chain.

Amber first saw the abuse on the news.

“I started crying," she said. "It upsets me that he is my dog. And then I trusted my dad with the dog, and he neglects it and abuses it. It's not right. I haven't gotten to talk with him about it yet, but I'm still really upset about it, and I wish he wouldn't have done it."

We contacted Bruce Skinner. He wouldn't talk to us on camera, but he did agree to answer our questions on the phone.

He said the whole incident baffles him, explaining that he moved to a place that doesn't allow pets. He said he left Hammer at his former home until he could find him a new home.

Bruce Skinner said he fed Hammer daily, but said Hammer broke loose from his chain "100 times." Since Hammer was always getting loose, Skinner began using a heavier chain. He said he couldn't tell the chain was cutting into Hammer's neck because his fur was so long.

" I may be negligent, but I'm not criminal," Bruce Skinner said.

Lawrence County Sheriff Tim Sexton and the county prosecutor are pursuing animal cruelty charges and said they will prosecute this case vigorously.

“We’ll prosecute the case," Sexton said. "Then, it’s up to the courts to decide what happens to him.”

As for Amber, it's a horrific situation that leaves her emotionally torn.

“I think if he's going to do that to my dog, then he should get punished for it because it's not right," she said. "You have to learn your lesson. But, then, he is my dad.”

Bruce Skinner said he loves dogs, having owned them throughout his life. He said he would never intentionally abuse a pet.

Animal cruelty is considered a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.

Meanwhile, Hammer continues to improve. His veterinarian has received nearly 200 calls from people wanting to adopt him. While Hammer currently is not adoptable, the Best Friends Animal Hospital, in cooperation with the Putnam County (W.Va.) Humane Society, have many other neglected dogs that need loving homes.