New Norfolk, VA Beach Displays Push $10,000 Reward to Find Monster Who Battered Yorkie Named Rambo
For Immediate Release:
September 30, 2026
Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382
This week, public appeals have risen across Norfolk and Virginia Beach to aid the criminal investigation into who tortured a Yorkshire terrier named Rambo on multiple occasions, then abandoned him in a field. PETA is urging members of the public to come forward and claim the $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for Rambo’s suffering.
“This dog didn’t reach higher than a man’s socks, yet he suffered repeated trauma that was so severe that he could not be touched due to pain, leading animal welfare experts to suspect a violent individual’s handiwork,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “We are asking people to think hard: Did you ever see a Yorkie and hear Rambo’s name or witness his abuse? Call PETA and help us get Justice for Rambo and prevent anyone else from being tortured as he was.”
Some details have come to light: since announcing its reward offer, PETA has learned that on July 14, a good Samaritan found Rambo wandering and contacted Virginia Beach Animal Services (VBAS). The good Samaritan scanned Rambo’s microchip, contacted his registered owner, and then took Rambo home; no injuries were reported at that time. This was just two weeks before Rambo was abandoned—his body broken from abuse. The good Samaritan’s name is not known, and PETA would like to speak with this individual, as well as anyone else who saw or knows anything about this little dog and who might have caused his suffering.
On the evening of July 29, a witness saw a Black woman believed to be in her 30s remove Rambo from a carrier, abandon him in a field near Armistead Avenue and E. 24th Street in Norfolk, and drive away in a white sedan. The witness contacted PETA, and a fieldworker responded to the scene—but the horrific damage done to the little dog was so traumatizing that he could not recover. A forensic necropsy documented multiple traumatic injuries consistent with significant blunt-force abuse, including fractured ribs, a separated pelvis, severe leg injuries, and extensive bruising—evidence of violent abuse at different times. Norfolk Police are investigating.
Where to see PETA’s displays:
- 6009 Bonney Rd., Virginia Beach
- 5901 E Virginia Beach Blvd., Norfolk
- 864 Monticello Ave., Norfolk
- 114 E Princess Anne Rd., Norfolk
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
