Alameda County DA Joins Police In Dog Mutilation Probe
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley said Friday that her office is working with Oakland police to find and prosecute the person or persons responsible for mutilating three puppies who were found in an East Oakland trash pile over the Memorial Day Weekend.
Speaking at a news conference at the Oakland Animal Shelter, O'Malley said, "We will work with the Oakland Police Department to figure out who hurt these puppies and bring them to justice."
O'Malley said she's concerned because many people who abuse animals also commit violent crimes against humans.
O'Malley said, "Our fear is that whoever is hurting these dogs is also hurting people."
Joining O'Malley at the news conference, Oakland police spokeswoman Johnna Watson said, "Our concern is that if they are doing this to puppies are they also doing this to human beings?"
Watson said the mutilation of the three puppies is one of the worst cases of animal abuse she's seen in her 26 years with the Oakland Police Department.
"We haven't seen this to this level," she said.
Two German Shepherd puppies were found in a pile of garbage at 89th Avenue and G Street on Saturday night.
One of them, named Frigg by animal rescue officials, had a rear paw that was chopped off, and the other, her sister Freya, has a jaw that's badly broken.
On Monday, a third German Shepherd puppy, Chloe, was also found in the same area with a broken jaw.
All three puppies are four months old and all are receiving veterinary care.
On Wednesday, Rocket Dog Rescue shared video that showed Freya and Frigg eating, playing, and even kissing each other's faces with that broken jaw after Freya made a remarkable recovery..
O'Malley said the injuries the puppies suffered don't appear to be a result of dog-fighting but instead to be a result of what she described as "a very specific type of mutilation, very purposefully done" with some kind of a tool.
O'Malley said animal abusers are five times more likely than the normal population to commit violent crimes against people and four times more likely to commit violent crimes against property.
She also said about 75 percent of animal abusers are also abusing their own family members.
The reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for mutilating the puppies has now been increased to $15,000, O'Malley said. On Friday, the Oakland Animal Shelter added $5,000 to the $10,000 already being offered by PETA and Pet Express.
Anyone with information about the puppies and the injuries they suffered is asked to call Oakland police Sgt. Robert Muniz at (510) 238-3728 or the Oakland Animal Shelter at (510) 535-5602.
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