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Dog advocates seek answers for burned
pup
ADAM LYNN; The News Tribune
Last updated:
March 21st, 2006 01:21 AM (PST) The case of a
Federal Way puppy horribly burned with acid has inflamed the passions of
animal welfare advocates across the globe and pitted them against the two
local law enforcement agencies investigating what happened to Mooie.
The 4-month-old pit bull was euphemized March 10 after being taken to
an Auburn veterinary hospital with chemical burns over most of its
body.
Officials with Sultan-based Pasados Safe Haven, a private nonprofit
animal rescue shelter, are convinced the dog was doused with acid
intentionally and have accused the Federal Way Police Department and King
County Animal Services of bungling the investigation a charge
representatives from both agencies vehemently deny.
It appears theyre not really doing anything, Pasado representative
Larry Brothers said Monday.
Officials from both agencies said they cant prove someone
intentionally hurt the dog, not yet anyway, and its possible the dog got
into the acid on its own.
Al Dams, assistant manager for King County Animal Services, said he
hopes a witness comes forward with information that can help his officers
determine the truth.
Dams said he also resents the attacks directed at his organization by
Pasado and its supporters.
Animal cruelty gets us more fired up than anything, he said. Felony
animal cruelty is the highest offense we investigate, and we take it very
seriously.
Unsatisfied Pasado officials have launched a campaign to bombard both
agencies and Puget Sound-area media outlets with letters and e-mails
demanding action. The News Tribune alone has received several dozen
e-mails from outraged dog lovers, some from as far away as Texas and Iowa,
and Pasados Safe Haven has been contacted by people from Europe and
Paraguay.
In addition, private contributors have kicked in $5,000 in recent days
to increase a reward for information offered by Pasado from $10,000 to
$15,000, Brothers said.
This is a particularly heinous case because of the way this little
puppy suffered, he said.
A passer-by found the dog in the yard of a house in the vicinity of the
28900 28th Place South. Mooie belonged to someone who lives down the
street. Federal Way police spokeswoman Stacey Flores said Mooies owner
didnt know the dog which had been Valentines Day present was missing
until later contacted by authorities.
The passer-by who found Mooie took the dog to the animal hospital in
Auburn, where the pit bull was humanely killed after a veterinarian
determined it could not be saved.
Federal Way police were called but passed the case onto King County
Animal Services, Flores said.
Theyre the experts in such cases, Flores said. We dont have anyone
who saw what happened. Right now, theres no one to investigate. Were
left with nothing.
Contacted by the animal hospital, Pasado launched its own investigation
which included fishing through private trash cans and concluded the
official query was lacking, Brothers said.
Pasado investigators contend authorities cremated the dogs carcass
before performing a necropsy on it and have been slow to obtain a warrant
to search what animal welfare advocates believe to be the home of a
potential suspect.
A necropsy an autopsy on an animal could have provided significant
clues to what kind of substance burned the dog, Brothers said. That
information then could be used to identify a possible suspect, he
said.
Dams said his agency is conducting a thorough investigation and that a
sergeant and another officer are assigned to the case.
Investigators have pictures of Mooies body, her collar which was
exposed to the acid and statements from those involved in the case, Dams
said.
We didnt need a necropsy. We know how she died. She was euthanized,
he said. We have plenty of evidence. What we need now is for a witness to
come forward and tell us what they saw. Or we need a suspect to come
forward and confess.
Call with tips
Anyone with information on what happened to Mooie the 4-month-old pit
bull burned with acid is asked to call King County Animal Services at
206-296-3958. A $2,500 reward is available through the Humane Society of
the United States.
Pasados Safe Haven, a private, nonprofit animal shelter based in
Sultan, also is seeking tips. Call 425-269-3621 with information. A
$15,000 reward is available through Pasado.
Adam Lynn: 253-597-8644
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Originally published: March 21st, 2006 01:00 AM
(PST) | 
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