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Ohio police are asking for the public’s help gathering information after twenty-two dead dogs were found in a ditch Monday night.
Cherry Valley officials were called on April 18 to a ditch in Cherry Valley Township after the property owner, and her neighbours, discovered the nearly two dozen deceased animals.
“I was crying,” Cindy Bundy, one of the people who found the animals, told WKYC News. “For somebody to take 22 dogs – and pregnant ones – it’s beyond horrific.”
The dogs ranged from 10-weeks-old to six-years-old, all believed to be from a similar breed.
According to WKYC, the animals were found in an isolated, “dead-ends” area with no residences located nearby. The area was also separated from the road by a fence.
“Obviously a dog is not going to climb on top of [a frence],” said Tammy Dondorfer, an animal welfare director for the Ashtabula County Animal Protective League .“Somebody loaded up deceased animals, drove somewhere and threw them out like they were trash.”
Investigators told WKYC that the dogs seemed to be in good health prior to their deaths, something Dondorfer and Bundy agreed with.
“Someone must have been feeding them, taking care of them, so again: why are they laying out there?” asked Dondorfer.
The biggest tip officials have so far are a pair of gloves found near the scene that will be tested for fingerprints.
Until then, each dog has been cremated and given names and will have a burial at the Ashtabula County’s animal shelter.