Dog Found Leashed to Cinder Block a Mile Off the Coast

Investigators in Newport Beach are trying to make sense of the macabre discovery of a large dog leashed to a cinder block a mile off the coast.

Heavily decomposed, the animal was discovered Saturday afternoon. It had been attached to the heavy block with a harness and leash.

“It’s not easy on our staff,” said Newport Beach Police Department and Animal Control spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella. “It’s not something that we come across all the time.

It’s very tragic.”

The dog was reported a mile west of the Newport Beach Pier Saturday. Animal Control officers and crime scene investigators arrived to find the large breed dog with brown fur that had obviously been dead for a while. It was not microchipped.

At this point, investigators don’t know if the dog was drowned alive, or if it was already dead when it was thrown into the ocean.

It’s really too early to say,” said Manzella. “If it was a live dog, that’s animal cruelty. If it was dead, that’s improper disposal.”

Investigators don’t know if the animal was dumped from a boat or from the shore. It may have been dumped off another city’s coastline before drifting to Newport Beach, Manzella added.

Anyone with information is asked to call 949-644-3717.

Photo: www.pexels.com