Humane society offering $5,000 reward for information in Lexington burned puppy case
A national humane society is seeking information about a Lexington incident that left a litter of 13 puppies dead.
On Wednesday, the Humane Society of the United States announced it is offering a $5,000 reward in exchange for information that leads to an arrest in the case. Anyone with information is encouraged to email Lexington-Fayette Animal Care and Control animal cruelty investigator Lt. Jai Hamilton at jhamilton@lfacc.org.
The incident happened on May 29. The national humane society said a resident found a litter of 13 puppies, estimated to be only eight days old, near the of Todds Road and North Cleveland Road suffering from animal cruelty.
Seven of the puppies died as a result of intentional burning, organization officials said. The surviving puppies were rushed to a veterinarian but later died due to the torture they endured.
Hamilton plans to file 13 counts of first-degree animal cruelty against the individual(s) responsible for the incident, according to the national humane society. First-degree animal cruelty is a class D felony in Kentucky, which carries a one-five year prison sentence if found guilty.
“It is heartbreaking to even imagine what horrendous torture these puppies went through at only 8 days old,” Todd Blevins, Kentucky state director for the Humane Society of the United States, said in a news release. “There is no excuse for this kind of cruelty. We hope our reward helps find the perpetrator of this despicable act.”
The national humane society said raising awareness of animal cruelty cases is important.
“The connection between animal cruelty and human violence is well documented,” the organization said in its release. “Studies show a correlation between animal cruelty and many other crimes, from narcotics and firearms violations to battery and sexual assault.”
