Statistics suggest that only 1/3 of new puppies live their life in their first home. The other 2/3 are abandoned, put in shelters, or given to others in the hope that the right home will cure the problem.

About 60% of the 2/3 that are given away are eventually euthanized, according to the Humane Society of the United States. This amounts to millions of dogs being killed each year and one more dog was just added to that list. No, it wasn’t put in a shelter, or given to a good home or even simply abandoned. Instead, it was brutally murdered.

The dog, described as a “young 100 pound black lab” was found dead by an elderly man who was walking his dog, when he spotted something suspicious on the side of Butcher Road, a country road located in Northeast Ohio. The dog was found with a bag over his face and duct tape completely wrapped around his head, then placed inside a trash bag.

The dog was wearing a red collar with a blue tie around it that had been cut off when it was found inside the trash bag, and the bag over its head was uncovered. The Salem Police Department said that the dog most likely died from suffocation.

The owner has been identified and went to the police station to identify the dog’s collar and the blue cable. The owner, who is not under suspicion for the crime, was the last person to see the dog alive last Tuesday evening. The dog was always outdoors, and the owner believes that his female lab chewed through her cable and got loose. Since the beginning of the investigation, the local police station has received more than twenty phone calls and over ninety Facebook hits thus far.

Thanks to a generous contribution from good samaritan and area resident Alan Price, a $500 reward has been put up for any information about the person who killed this helpless animal.

The Salem Police Department and the Columbiana County dog warden plan to continue investigating until the perpetrator of this vicious crime is found. If anyone has any information about the dog’s killer please contact Alan Price at 330-692-3562 or e-mail him at alanprice@sbcglobal.net. You can also contact the Salem Police Department at 330-337-7811.

To help prevent animal cruelty from happening in your area, check out your local animal shelters or go to “The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals” at: www.ASPCA.org.

Image Courtesy of   Phil Ostroff

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About the author

Elizabeth Lowry
Elizabeth graduated from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University with her specialization in Broadcast News as well as a minor in business and psychology. She enjoys writing, reading and researching about humanitarian affairs, health & fitness, fashion and sports. In her free time she enjoys working out, traveling and exploring different cultures, trying new things and spending time with her Chocolate Lab.