TEXARKANA, Ark. - A reward fund is being established in hopes of discovering who drowned five puppies Thursday in the Bramble Park pond.
Arkansas-side code enforcement officers first found the puppies and informed animal control. Director of Animal Services Kayla Tucker and animal control officers responded to the scene.
"We were hoping they were mistaken," Tucker said.
Officers found the puppies at various places around the pond. Because turtles or other scavenger wildlife had gotten to the bodies, it was difficult to determine much about them, Tucker said.
"From what I could see, four of them were black and rust and one was solid black. They looked like possibly little rottweiler-pit mix puppies, and they were anywhere from eight to 10 weeks old," she said.
The puppies' bodies are being held in cold storage as evidence.
Since a post about the case on the Animal Care and Adoption Center's Facebook page Thursday, multiple people have offered to add to a reward fund payable for information that leads to an arrest and conviction. Tucker was unsure how much money had been pledged Friday morning but said the fund was around $1,000 and could increase.
If caught, the perpetrator would face five counts of felony aggravated animal cruelty and the possibility of 10 years in prison, Tucker said.
The case has been upsetting for animal services staff.
"It's got us all pretty rattled," Tucker said. "This is one of the most disturbing cases I've had to deal with.
"Hopefully someone will step forward and do the right thing, because your main concern is that if someone is capable of drowning five puppies individually, your fear is that it could only escalate onto people next," she said.
Anyone with information in the case is asked to call the animal shelter at 870-773-6388.