The Humane Society of the United States is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for strangling and abandoning a dog in Chattanooga, according to a news release.
On March 18, the adult female German Shepherd was found dead face-down in a puddle of murky water in an alleyway on North Hawthorne between 1800 and 1801 Olive Street with red/orange twine and an electric cord wound around her neck and zip ties around her legs. A veterinarian determined the cause of death was strangulation and said the dog showed no sign of a struggle, which suggests to investigators she may have known her attacker.
"This defenseless dog suffered a terrible, sickening death at the hands of a human - possibly one she trusted - before being callously discarded," Laura Bevan, the southern regional director for the Humane Society, said in the release. "We hope that this reward will bring forward anyone with information about this crime."
McKamey Animal Center is investigating. Anyone with any information about the incident is encouraged to contact Becca Ross, director of animal services for the center, at 423-305-6515 or rcross@mckameyanimalcenter.org.
- Compiled by Kim Sebring