Dog Found Beaten to Death in Spring Valley

$1,000 reward offered for information leading to an arrest

The San Diego Humane Society and SPCA is asking the public for help in solving the beating death of an 8-year-old dog whose wounded body was found down an embankment in a Spring Valley neighborhood last month.

Authorities found the dog, a male Shepard mix, dead with multiple wounds to its body in the 1500 block of Ramona Avenue on Aug. 20, according to Randy Lawrence, Director of Humane Law Enforcement for the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA.

The dog’s body was discovered across the street from the home it was living in prior to its death, Lawrence said.

It’s believed that the dog may have been dead for up to four days prior to being found.

Authorities located the body after a tip from a concerned citizen familiar with the dog who noticed it had gone missing.

A necropsy performed on the dog at a Humane Society facility concluded that he had suffered blunt force trauma.

Due to the dog’s size it’s suspected that whoever committed the crime used some sort of instrument to inflict the injuries.

“The results of the necropsy were appalling,” said Lawrence. “There’s no doubt that this was an intentional act. I’ve been here for two years and seen four to five cases similar to this, but this is obviously one where this dog suffered based on the way it was beaten.”

After a preliminary investigation, authorities found that the dog did not live with its owner and was staying with several people the owner was acquainted with, Lawrence said.

The owner was reportedly unaware the dog had died until they were contacted about the incident.

Authorities suspect that one of the people the dog was living with is responsible for the crime. The suspects face felony charges of animal cruelty.

Crime Stoppers is asking the public for additional information in the case and is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

“Based on the severity of the crime, we definitely believe that someone saw or heard something,” said Lawrence.

Anyone with information in the case can contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-888-580-8477 or online at sdcrimestoppers.com.

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