The harrowing discovery was made when resident Sarah Eberhardt was walking her dog Potato near Duke and Ingram streets, around 9:30 a.m. Friday, July 7, officials said.
Potato picked up one of the sausage pieces and began gagging on it. Eberhardt called Animal Services, which canvassed the area and found nine sausage pieces with hooks inside them. After a visit to an emergency animal hospital, Potato is home and expected to make a full recovery.
Meanwhile, both PETA and the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria are offering $5,000 — totaling $10,000 — to help find the culprit.
“Companion animals and wildlife are in imminent danger as long as the cruel person(s) responsible for this malicious act is walking around free,” PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch said. “PETA urges people to stay alert when walking their dogs and asks anyone with information to come forward immediately before someone gets hurt.”
An investigation is ongoing, but there are currently no leads in the case, so PETA and the AWLA are asking for the public’s help. Anyone with information, including residents in the vicinity with security camera footage, such as Ring recordings, should contact the AWLA at 703-746-6000 or AnimalServices@AlexandriaAnimals.org.
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