Dog stabbed Pataskala, OH (US) Incident Date: Tuesday, May 27, 2003 County: Licking Local Map: available Disposition: Open Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!

Case ID: 1514 Classification: Stabbing Animal: dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in OH (US) Reward: $500 Login to Watch this Case

The stabbing of a 1-year-old bloodhound is not considered attempted murder in the eyes of the law, but that dog's master wants justice. Ronald C. Miller pledged $500 with the hope someone will help lead police to catch whomever committed such a cruel act against "Hank."

"I could be mad at a lot of people but I wouldn't kill their dog," said Miller, 41, who bought the canine from a Columbus woman a year ago when it was a pup.

A Pataskala truck driver, Miller has raised dogs all his life. On Tuesday, his 21-year-old son Ronald Jr. found Hank slumped in his backyard kennel, bleeding and an unable to walk from two stab wounds to the back.

The father and son took the injured dog to a veterinary clinic, thinking the dog had somehow cut himself, but an X-Ray and a detailed physical examination revealed Hank had been stabbed hard enough and deep enough to sever his spinal cord. Because the dog was in such misery and the injuries beyond healing, the Millers decided to have the dog put to sleep.

"I'm an animal lover so I think this is a pretty cheap shot. It sounds like a crime of revenge or a hateful act," said Licking County Sheriff's Capt. Tom Lee. Lee said the perpetrator can be charged with animal cruelty and criminal trespassing.

Miller said whoever stabbed the bloodhound did so to personally get at him since he has two kennels and three other dogs -- two beagles and one yellow Labrador retriever.

"The thing of it is, they went inside of the kennel to kill him...that's the dog I bragged about," he said.

Miller said he planned to enter Hank into some dog shows, and now that he is gone will miss his simple, lazy and lovable nature.

"What I'll miss the most is just the way he lays around. That dog was so laid back. He was good sized, stood 5 feet tall on his hind legs. He was just a lovable dog," he said.

Miller decided Thursday to offer a reward and said: "Hopefully, somebody's going to talk here."

Eventually he will get another bloodhound, Miller said, but until then he wants to see the attacker caught.

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