PETA Offers $5,000 Reward for Tips in Deadly Dog Abandonment Case

For Immediate Release:
June 16, 2025

Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382

 PETA is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction on cruelty charges of the person(s) responsible for abandoning a dog in a metal cage left on the side of the road near Rippard Avenue and O’Conner Crescent. On May 31, Norfolk Animal Protection Unit officers received a report of an injured animal in the area, but upon their arrival, they found the dog—a young female bully breed with a dark brindle coat and white underside—deceased. Authorities report that the dog was wearing a bright orange and pink collar.

The suspect has not been identified and may have other animals in their possession—and animal abusers are often repeat offenders who present a threat to the entire community.

Anyone with information related to this case should contact the Norfolk Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.

Credit: Norfolk Police Department

“This dog depended on someone to provide care or seek help, but they discarded her on the side of the road,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA pleads with anyone in our community who might know something about this case to do the right thing and come forward with information that could help prevent the suffering of another individual.”

PETA recently awarded a good Samaritan $5,000 for helping police in Long Beach, California, identify and arrest a man caught on camera slamming a puppy to the ground outside an apartment complex in April. The perpetrator was sentenced to three years in prison and has been banned from owning a companion animal for at least 10 years.

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.