Dog shot to death, execution style
Pioneertown, CA (US)Incident Date: Monday, Feb 25, 2008
County: San Bernardino
Disposition: Open
Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!
In an animal-loving town where pets are considered part of the family and dogs ride shotgun in dusty Jeeps, it's hard to believe the act of deliberate cruelty that took place in Pioneertown Feb. 25.
But Sara Horowitz says her beloved black Labrador, Brody, was shot, execution-style, on the property adjacent to the Pioneertown Motel. No one was home at the time, as far as she knew.
A reward up to $3,000 is being offered by the Humane Society of the United States and the Coalition to Protect Animal Rights in Entertainment and the United Activists for Animal Rights.
Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department at 366-4175.
Horowitz and her boyfriend, Dave Littlepage, have been managing the motel since last May and say they cannot imagine why anyone would want to hurt their dog. But they intend to find out.
"It's become my mission," Horowitz said.
She said it had become Brody's habit to "make his rounds" every morning through Pioneertown, stopping to visit pals along the way. He was a friendly dog who wouldn't hurt anyone, Horowitz insisted. His cheerful, loving personality earned him a lot of friends in the small community.
"He didn't know how to be mean," she said. "All he knew how to do was love."
On this particular morning the 5-year-old took off to catch up after a week-long camping trip along the coast. Horowitz and Littlepage were busy taking care of the motel, but after Brody didn't return in the usual amount of time, they set out to find the errant Lab.
Littlepage soon found Brody lying dead beside a fence on the property next door.
"When Dave brought me to Brody I threw myself on his body and started screaming," Horowitz recalled sadly.
At that point they didn't know how he'd died, but they thought he might've been kicked in the throat by a horse. They realized he had been shot a long while later when Horowitz removed Brody's collar and saw the blood and the bullet hole. A shell casing for a .38 special Winchester was found nearby.
This discovery brought fresh tears, along with confusion and anger. Why would anyone do this?
Littlepage called the sheriff's department and animal control, but Horowitz says law enforcement did not arrive till after midnight. Both agencies expressed the sentiment that it was just a dog, Horowitz said.
By this time, sympathetic neighbors had arrived on the scene to offer condolences. All were shocked at the murder of an innocent animal.
"There were lots of tears," Littlepage said.
Cpl. Jim Thornburg said the sheriff's department answers all calls as soon as possible, with higher priority calls taking precedence. He said the investigation into Brody's death was ongoing. The crime of cruelty to animals is a felony, he added.
"Every lead that is given to us will be followed up," he said.
Horowitz broke down, tears flowing down her face, at the spot where Brody was found dead.
"He was just a big, dumb, loving dog," she mourned. "Thank God he didn't suffer." If you have information on this case, please contact:
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department
366-4175
References« CA State Animal Cruelty Map
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