Dog found hung, stick shoved down throat - Philadelphia, PA

Wednesday, Jun 1, 2011

County: Philadelphia

Disposition: Open

Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Animal welfare investigators are looking into the death of a dog found hanged in a Philadelphia park.

The discovery was made Wednesday night in a wooded area in the 5600 block of Tacony Street near the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission in Bridesburg.

Bobby Wildey was walking his dog, Lacey, in the area by the Delaware River when he came upon the crime scene.

"It's pretty cruel. I can't see how anybody would do that to their pet," Wildey said. "What did the dog do to them?"

Investigators say the hanged dog also had a stick lodged in its throat.

"It appears the dog has been hanging there, in my estimation, for a couple of days in the heat. It is starting to decompose," said Pennsylvania SCPA Humane Law Enforcement officer George Bengal.

Bengal believes it took a lot of effort for someone to hang the dog and shove a stick down its throat, saying it appeared the dog had been meticulously placed there.

The exact breed of the dog is unknown.

The PSPCA said that the person or people involved in this crime will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

They are now looking for the public's help in solving this crime.

"This is a pretty big fishing area, so there's a lot of activity, a lot of kids and families down here to picnic, so maybe somebody did see something down here," Bengal said.

Anyone with information can contact the Pennsylvania SPCA Humane Law Enforcement office at 1-866-601-SPCA or cruelty@pspca.org.

If you have information on this case, please contact:
Pennsylvania SPCA Humane Law Enforcement
cruelty@pspca.org.
1-866-601-SPCA

Case Updates

It was a raccoon, and it was dead before it was hanged in a tree in Bridesburg. That's the finding of the Pennsylvania SPCA, which initially suspected that animal found Wednesday evening was a dog. But the carcass had decomposed so much - for at least two days - that closer study was needed, said spokeswoman Wendy A. Marano. It was spotted near the Delaware River waterfront off the 5600 block of Tacony Street. "While the circumstances of the animal's final disposition were very disturbing, there are currently no laws regarding the treatment of animal remains if they are already deceased," she said. "However, the Pennsylvania SPCA is continuing to investigate to determine whether the animal's death was a result of cruelty." The raccoon was found with a stick in its throat. Raccoons, dogs and bears are related, but belong to different animal families. The animal's weight of 25 to 30 pounds was in the right range for a dog, Marano said. Anyone with information about the case can contact the PSPCA at 215-426-6300.

Source: philly.com - Jun. 3, 2011 Update posted on Jun 3, 2011 - 8:27PM

References

• abclocal.go.com - Jun 2, 2011

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