Officials hunt madman who drowned dog
By Casey Ross
Thursday, September 23, 2004
Veteran animal control officials trembled in shock yesterday as they stood over the body of a golden retriever whose shaggy corpse was found in shallow surf on a Nahant beach - hog-tied, gagged and stuffed in a sack.
``I hope I never see anything like this again,'' animal control officer Mike Kairevich said. ``I've seen all kinds of stuff in my years as a cop, but this is really affecting me.''
Outraged state authorities launched an investigation yesterday to try to determine who dumped the helpless dog in the ocean as though it was the victim of a callous mob hit.
The dog, a male estimated to be 10 years old, was discovered on Long Beach early Tuesday by a passer-by who initially thought it might have been a person. The dog's body, tied at the paws and muzzled by rope, was wrapped in a burlap bag.
Investigators believe the dog was still alive when it was thrown to its death.
``We're hoping the public can help give us some clues,'' said Martha Parkhurst, prosecuting officer with the Massachusetts Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. ``These cases are tough. It's pretty easy to make an (animal) disappear.''
Parkhurst said the dead dog, whose body did not carry any identification tags, appeared to have been in the water for a short time. A necropsy was performed yesterday to determine the cause of death.
Meanwhile, Nahant beach-goers trying to enjoy the last day of summer were sickened by news that anyone could be so cruel to an aging retriever.
``It's horrible,'' said Arthur Leblanc of Saugus. ``Whoever did this has no conscience, no concept of animal rights, nothing.''
Andrea Battis shuddered at the news, wondering what kind of person would tie up an old dog and send it to such a terrifying death.
``This is disgusting,'' she said. ``Someone is trying to send a sick message.''
How can people do things like this to animals. It appears the dog was tied up, gagged and then stuffed in a sack and thrown into the ocean. 
