PRESS RELEASE

Animals Bound and Beaten Body Found in Algiers

NEW ORLEANS (02/13/06) A call received by the Louisiana SPCA late Saturday afternoon led to the discovery of a dead German Shepherd mix that had been bound, beaten, and apparently stuffed in a trash can while it was still alive. A New Orleans resident walking her dog along the levee in Algiers, near Patterson Road and Woodland Hills, made the discovery and immediately alerted the LA/SPCA.

The female dogs legs and feet were intricately tied with new rope and threaded through the trash can. The dog was found lying on her side inside the can with front paw bound with one length of rope and rear paw
bound with another. Each loop of cord was made of a length of new, white, braided nylon rope. Both loops were the same size and each consisted of a double-overhand knot on one end and a lark's head knot looped about the paw on the other. Ends of rope had been carefully sealed with white tape to prevent fraying. One loop of rope had been threaded through a hole in the bottom of the can in such a manner that
the dog would have been drawn up into the can by her front foot. This had initially been done with such force that the paw had been drawn through the hole. The paw appears to have been dislodged from the hole after the can made contact with the mud and then came to a rest at the bottom of the levee.

A pool of blood and body fluids -- at least several ounces -- was found inside the can, and blood and body fluids had seeped into the mud beneath the can as well. (Photos)

Dez Crawford, LA/SPCA Operations Director experienced in animal cruelty investigations said, Due to the amount of blood pooled inside the can and that more blood leaked out of the bottom of the can into the mud below, the dog appears to have been alive and bleeding at the time the can came to a rest at the bottom of the levee.

Cursory non-veterinary palpation of the animal's torso suggests serious injury before and/or after she was placed in the can. The bizarre nature of restraint, with possibility of the dog being suspended and beaten, is indicative of deliberate cruelty.

LA/SPCA Executive Director Laura Maloney said the agency is outraged that someone could inflict such suffering upon another living creature. The abuse appeared to be deliberate, methodical and with every intent to inflict pain, she said Its extremely disturbing to imagine the magnitude of the dogs suffering.

The agency is investigating the crime and is asking for potential witnesses to step forward. The dogs body is being sent to LSU Veterinary School of Medicine to gather additional forensic evidence.



The Louisiana SPCA worked in cooperation with a variety of wonderful humane agencies to rescue more than 8,500 animals after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans on August 29th. The Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (LA/SPCA) is a private non-profit organization dedicated to the elimination of animal suffering. Chartered in 1888, it is the oldest and most comprehensive animal welfare organization in the state of Louisiana providing care and basic medical services for approximately 11,000 homeless and unwanted animals each year. The LA/SPCA is a membership organization that depends upon the support of the public.

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