Beaten Yorkie With Broken Bones Seen Abandoned in Norfolk: Up to $10,000 Reward to Find Culprit

For Immediate Release:
September 2, 2026

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

PETA is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the suffering and ultimate death of Rambo, an approximately 6-year-old Yorkshire terrier who was abandoned in a Norfolk field on Wednesday, July 29, with broken ribs and extensive traumatic injuries indicating severe, prolonged abuse. In an urgent effort to identify the person(s) who tortured Rambo, PETA is placing billboards and distributing flyers in Norfolk and Virginia Beach. Photos of Rambo are available here.

On the evening of Wednesday, July 29, a witness saw a Black woman believed to be in her 30s who was driving a white sedan remove Rambo from a carrier, abandon him in a field near Armistead Avenue and E. 24th Street—and drive away. The witness contacted PETA, and a fieldworker responded to the scene. Rambo was wearing a light blue collar with pink or reddish stripes and was unable to walk steadily, with his eyes crusted shut. A microchip traced him to Virginia Beach Animal Services, which had adopted him out in May. He had been surrendered to the shelter due to a family member—presumably his guardian—passing away.

Records show that Rambo had been adopted as a healthy, bright-eyed dog weighing 8 pounds, 12 ounces, with no noted behavioral or physical issues, just two months prior to his abandonment. By late July, Rambo had lost roughly 21% of his body weight and was nearly blind, apparently deaf, unsteady on his feet, and unable to walk without pain, and so severely traumatized that he was terrified of human contact and panicked whenever he sensed people approaching. Despite receiving intensive treatment, Rambo’s psychological and physical condition did not improve, and he was euthanized on August 7 on a veterinarian’s recommendation. Norfolk Police are investigating the case.

A forensic necropsy confirmed that the tiny dog had endured the following:

• Two fractured ribs
• A separated pelvis (when two bones in the pelvis are pulled apart as a result of blunt force trauma), along with severe injuries to his rear legs, which would have caused him to be in excruciating pain
• Extensive bruising and bleeding throughout his legs, side, and groin, consistent with him having suffered significant blunt force trauma
• A painful and deep eye ulcer and blood in the other eye as a result of trauma
• An untreated skin infection

The necropsy findings ruled out the possibility that Rambo had been hit by a car, and indicated that Rambo suffered violent abuse at different times—his rib fractures no longer showed external bruising, meaning they’d been broken before his pelvis (the region of which was deeply bruised) was injured.

“After losing his guardian, his home, and the world as he knew it, Rambo became someone’s punching bag, sustaining repeated abuse and injuries so excruciatingly painful and traumatizing that he could not recover,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “Someone knows who hurt and abandoned Rambo, and PETA is pleading with the public to come forward immediately with any information, no matter how small, so that whoever tortured this dog can be held accountable before they harm and kill another living being.”

The suspect has not yet been identified and may have other animals in their possession who are in danger. Anyone with information is urged to contact PETA at 757-962-8338.

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.