Reward of up to $5,000 Offered for Help Nabbing Person Who Left Dog in Trash Bag

PETA Seeks Information on Culprit Who Taped Animal’s Mouth Shut and Walked Away

For Immediate Release:
December 22, 2017

Contact:
Brooke Rossi 202-483-7382

On Tuesday evening, a concerned individual noticed something moving inside a large black trash bag near the intersection of Jackie Robinson Parkway and Pennsylvania Avenue and called the police. Officers arrived on the scene and cut open the bag to find a horrifying discovery: Inside was a nearly dead dog whose mouth was taped shut. The 10- to 12-year-old shepherd mix—now named Saint Vincent—was rushed to a veterinary clinic, where he was treated for hip dysplasia, severe neglect, and infections believed to have been caused from lying in his own waste for a couple of days. He is expected to recover.

Law-enforcement officials have yet to make any arrests in connection with this case, prompting PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—to offer a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the crime.

PETA will be posting fliers around the area in hopes that someone may recognize this dog and come forward with information.

“Only a dangerous person would tape a dog’s mouth shut and leave the terrified animal to die slowly in a garbage bag,” says PETA Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “Whoever did this lacks empathy, and PETA urges anyone with information about this case to come forward immediately, before anyone else gets hurt.”

Anyone with information about this case is urged to call the New York Police Department’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.