PETA and the Humane Society of the United States will offer up to $5,000 each for information that leads to the arrest of whoever was responsible for a drowned dog in Marina Del Rey last week, according to the LA County Department of Animal Care and Control.
"We're still looking at leads," said Aaron Reyes, deputy director of the Department of Animal Care and Control. "We have an outdated tag with the name of a former owner."
A group of paddlers first made the discovery on the morning of Wednesday, March 16 at Mother's Beach after seeing the shovel sticking out of the water, then realizing a dog was attached to it. The mixed-breed dog, who had identification tags, seemingly drowned because of the shovel, which was stuck deep into the sand, according to authorities.
"This little dog endured the terror and agony of being staked to the sand and drowning in the rising ocean waters," said PETA Senior Director Colleen O'Brien in a statement. "PETA urges anyone with information about this crime to come forward immediately, before whoever is responsible for this animal's horrifying death hurts someone else."
The Department of Animal Care and Control and the LA County Sheriff's Department are both investigating this case of animal cruelty
One of the people who found the dog shared photos of the identification tag and the grim scene she encountered on her Facebook page, garnering nearly 1,000 responses from users.
"Some people can be extraordinarily cruel," Malia Zimmerman wrote in her caption of the graphic image, encouraging potential witnesses to report any information they might have.
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Zimmerman and her companions had reported their discovery to the Sheriff's Department Wednesday morning.
Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to call LA County Animal Care and Control at (562) 728-4572.
