ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, November 6, 1996 TAG: 9611060073
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: LOVINGSTON
SOURCE: Associated Press
Some Nelson County residents are asking police to investigate a series of dog mutilations after one animal was found with its eyes gouged out and another was disemboweled and its testicles severed.
About 20 dogs have been found dead and sometimes mutilated, residents said. Many people think the animals were poisoned.
``We're finding them in front yards, in the woods and in the road,'' said Nikki Wood, whose northern Nelson County area has seen a cycle of mysterious dog disappearances and deaths since 1992. Wood, who has lost two dogs, said most of the dead dogs are friendly collies, beagles and Labrador retrievers that roam free in the rural area.
The Sheriff's Office said information about the nature of the killings, and their number, is inconclusive. But authorities launched an investigation in September after residents complained of inaction.
``We've begged and begged the Sheriff's Office to come down and help,'' Wood said. ``It's getting to the point where we're kind of frustrated.''
The most recent deaths occurred about two weeks ago. Many people have decided to keep their dogs indoors.
Deputy Bill McDonald, who heads the investigation, said Monday one dog was sent to a state laboratory in Lynchburg for an autopsy, but tests showed no trace of poison.
How the dog died isn't known, he said. He also could not confirm that any dogs were mutilated.
``We've been getting various reports,'' he said. ``We don't have the bodies of all the dogs. We've only gotten two, and they were not mutilated, just dead.''
McDonald would not say whether police have a suspect in the dog deaths. Cruelty to animals is a misdemeanor that carries a penalty of up to 12 months in jail and a maximum fine of $2,500.
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