Scout Troops Work To Find Abuser Of Lulu, Dog Buried Alive In Tucker

TUCKER, GA — Efforts to find the person who buried a dog alive along a Tucker trail and abandoned her — although her last hours were spent with a loving rescuer who dreamed of the new addition to his family — will continue on Saturday.

Members of Boy Scout Troop and Pack 1833, as well as Troop 70, will distribute hundreds of fliers in and around the Stonecrest Mall in Lithonia on Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. in an effort to identify the person who tormented Lulu, the dog who died after being buried up to her nose near an ATV trail in Tucker. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

"Someone must recognize this dog, and the whole community is counting on that person to come forward before anyone else gets hurt," says PETA Vice President Colleen O'Brien in a news release. "These Boy Scouts have made a promise to help Lulu, and PETA stands alongside them in doing everything possible to bring this dog's abuser to justice."

PETA has offered a $10,000 reward for tips, plus $500 from a member of the public, and turned the fliers into printable posters, available here, so they can be posted in public spaces. The DeKalb County Fire Rescue Department, Georgia Animal Rights and Protection, and other members of the community have passed out over 20,000 fliers in what has become a massive shared mission to nab the perpetrator, spokesman David Perle says.

SEE ALSO: Lulu, Dog Buried Alive In Georgia, Leaves Hole In Heart

Lulu's Tragic Story

From the minute Eric Purdue heard a noise, then glimpsed a snout and two eyes staring at him from the hole where the dog had been buried alive, he wanted to make Lulu a part of his family. Purdue used his bare hands to dig the Chow-mix dog out of her tomb along a Tucker trail, his son and nephew joined in the frantic effort to free the dog who was immobilized and left for dead.

Purdue, of DeKalb County, found Lulu June 6 on an ATV trail near Rock Mountain Boulevard and Lewis Road, where she may have been left for several days. "It's OK, baby. We're going to get you out. We'll get you out baby,” he crooned to the dog. Once she was freed, Purdue, took the abandoned dog he instantly named Lulu home, where she received multiple baths and constant petting until the family went to bed.

He planned to adopt the dog, but she died at the veterinarian's office a day later from her injuries suffered during the estimated two days she was trapped. "I visualized the dog riding around with me in my truck. ... I think about her a lot,” Purdue told WXIA.

A month has passed since Lulu was found buried alive, but there are still no leads in the case that PETA officials called torture. The animal group has doubled its reward for leads on whoever abused the canine to $10,000 in hopes that someone reports her owner.

“There's a hole here, too,” he told WXIA as he pointed at his chest. “Everyone in my house has a hole in their heart because of this—everyone in my family was traumatized by it. But the dog was loved beyond measure for the last 24 hours of her life.”

PETA, which shared the story on its website, agrees with Purdue's description of Lulu's horrible last hours.

"Someone tortured this dog by packing her in dirt, where she couldn’t move, drink, or escape the terror of being buried alive," said PETA's O’Brien. "PETA urges anyone with information about this case to come forward immediately so that whoever buried this dog can be held responsible and stopped from hurting anyone else."

Lulu was covered in ants and probably only alive when Purdue found her because of rain and relatively cool temperatures in the area at the time, he told WSB.

DeKalb County Animal Services is investigating the incident. Anyone with information in the case is asked to call animal control at 404-294-2939.

PETA encourages dog owners to keep dogs safely indoors and never leave them unattended in outdoor areas where they could be taken or harmed by someone. Dogs should always be accompanied outdoors and escorted on walks on a comfortable, secure harness and leash, the group says.
Photos courtesy of Eric Purdue