Crime & Safety
SPCA Completes Investigation of Deceased Dog Washed Ashore in Rye
SPCA said the dog was humanely euthanized. It did not drown, as they previously suspected.
The SPCA sent a press release to Patch Thursday asking for the public’s help in finding the owner of a Leonberger dog found on the shore in Rye. In the release, the SPCA of Westchester said the dog may have been deliberately drowned.
Ernest Lungaro, SPCA Humane Law Enforcement Unit Director, told Patch that Rye police notified them of a deceased dog washed ashore near the American Yacht Club, wrapped in a bed sheet. A cord and a weight was found wrapped around the dog’s body to keep it weighted down. The SPCA of Westchester was initially seeking the public’s help in finding the dog’s owner because they suspected the dog may have been deliberately drowned, as stated in their Aug. 28, 2014 press release.
“We didn’t know if there was foul play involved,” Lockhart said. “We did a necropsy and found the dog had a microchip, which led us to the vet.”
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According to Lungaro, the dog had tumors and was very sick with cancer. A Mamaroneck veterinarian humanely euthanized the dog on Aug. 18. The family then buried him at sea.
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