Reward of Up to $5,000 Offered in Dog-Dumping Case

PETA Joins Search for Culprit(s) Who Left Emaciated, Dehydrated Dog in a Trash Bag in the Freezing Cold

For Immediate Release:
February 24, 2020

Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382

On February 17, a passerby made a shocking discovery: Someone had abandoned a dog in a trash bag on the side of Forest Avenue, just north of W. 87^th Street. Cook County law enforcement arrived at the scene, wrapped the freezing and nearly unresponsive animal in blankets, and rushed him to the South Suburban Humane Society. There, staff began treatment for severe emaciation, dehydration, and kidney issues for the 3-year-old pit bull, whom they named Vinny.

Law-enforcement officials have yet to make any arrests in connection with the crime, so PETA is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction on cruelty-to-animals charges of the person or persons responsible for the neglect and abandonment of this dog.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—opposes speciesism, which is a human-supremacist worldview, and is also asking residents in the area to help spread the word and put up free downloadable posters (available here) in businesses and schools, on bulletin boards, and anywhere else that they’re allowed to display them.

“Someone bagged up this dog and threw him out on the side of the road like a piece of trash,” says PETA Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “PETA urges anyone who recognizes him to come forward immediately so that whoever left him to die alone in the cold can be held accountable.”

Anyone with information should call the Cook County Sheriff’s Office at 847-635-1188.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.