Signs of struggle seen in apparent dog hanging

By Jenny Davis

Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008 | 1:48 p.m.

Clark County Animal Control officers are investigating the death of a dog that witnesses believe was hanged from a tree at Lone Mountain Park, which is near Lone Mountain Road and the Las Vegas Beltway.

Centennial Hills resident Chris Luttkus found the male dog on the ground at 5:45 a.m. Sunday and said it appeared the dog had been hanging from a tree in the middle of the park.

"The cord was methodically wrapped around the dog's neck four times with a slip-knot, a noose, at the end of the cord," she said. "I saw damage on the branch of the tree showing struggle. It was obvious where the dog was originally hanging."

Luttkus said it looked like someone had begun to cut the cord, but then the weight of the dog caused it to fall because the cord was frayed. The cord also was on the ground.

"The tongue was hanging out of its mouth. It was definitely strangled to death," she said. "I just don't understand who could do this: some senseless being that I pity."

Melanie Leary, who arrived at about 6 a.m., said she also saw the dog and said it looked like a border collie house pet. It was well-groomed, neutered and healthy before the incident.

Clark County Animal Control received a call at 7:21 a.m. Monday about the dog. Jennifer Knight, a spokeswoman for Clark County, said Animal Control dispatched an officer, but the officer had several other live animal calls to take care of before arriving at the park at 8:53 a.m. When the officer arrived, the dog was gone.

Jennifer Robinson, the office manager at Centennial Hills Animal Hospital, said the dog was brought to the hospital. Robinson said the situation was gruesome.

"There was no way it could have been an accident with the amount of times the rope was around the dog's neck," she said.

The hospital hasn't conducted tests to determine if the dog was dead before the possible hanging. No microchips or collar were found on the dog.

Because the dog was brought in dead, it is not possible to determine how much the dog weighed before it died, but Robinson said a rough estimate would be about 40 pounds.

Because the dog was gone when the animal control officer arrived, the potential crime scene was destroyed, Knight said. Animal Control is continuing to look into the situation, but has not determined what happened.

For anyone who knows any information about the incident, they are encouraged to call 455-7710.

The animal hospital has offered to cremate the dog for free once investigations are completed. The Las Vegas Valley Humane Society is offering a $1,000 reward for information that will lead to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for the incident.

Jenny Davis can be reached at 990-8921 or jenny.davis@hbcpub.com.