Saint Louis Missouri Inundated By Rampant Animal Abuse Epidemic

Gang House Is Torture Chamber For Five Brutally Killed Dogs

ST. LOUIS, May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With rampant, unchecked animal abuse occurring on a daily basis, Saint Louis City has a dark cloud hanging over it that largely remains a secret to the rest of the nation. In a state notorious for puppy mills and lax animal abuse laws, St. Louis continues to stand out among other major metropolitan cities for their unwillingness to dedicate any resources of consequence to combat the rising animal abuse epidemic that plagues the area. Stray Rescue of St. Louis, a companion animal rescue and shelter nonprofit that has been featured on networks like CNN, National Geographic and Animal Planet, arrived at a vacant city house littered with gang graffiti on Tuesday, May 15 to find five dogs savagely tortured and killed.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120516/DC08614)

"I have seen a lot of horrific abuse in the decades I have been rescuing dogs, but I haven't seen anything this barbaric," said Randy Grim, Founder of Stray Rescue. "It was like a scene from the most shocking horror film, and it will stay with me forever. These dogs truly went through hell."

In the house, rescuers found chains and electrical cords used to restrain and strangle dogs. They found skeletal remains of a dog that had been choked to death, and a trail of dried blood that led to an area where a dog was burned - more than likely alive. Furniture was stacked upon more furniture over the body of another dog that had also been strangled with a cable cord.

The lifeless body of a dog seen through an upstairs window was draped over the windowsill. X-rays, taken by Stray Rescue's veterinary staff as part of a necropsy report, revealed severe trauma to the larynx. The vet staff believes that this was caused by the abusers positioning the dog on the windowsill and slamming the window down upon him repeatedly, crushing his larynx and killing him. One witness in the area, who wishes to remain anonymous because they are afraid of the gang who committed the abuse, reported a sixth dog who was lynched, having been hung out of a window. This dog has not been recovered.

"It's terrifying to know that people who are capable of such abuse are running free in our neighborhoods right this moment, and it's chilling to not know who their next victim will be," said Grim. "Stray Rescue is offering a $5,000 reward to anyone who comes forward with information that leads to the conviction of these abusers."

The correlation between animal abuse and violent crime is well documented, and Stray Rescue has been building abuse cases for the city's Circuit Attorney's Office for prosecution. The police have been largely unsympathetic to the situation and unresponsive to assisting in the arrests of these dangerous criminals. In fact, St. Louis is one of the few major cities with no dedicated police officers assigned to such cases, and city officials rely heavily on the nonprofit to humanely remove dogs from the streets. In July of 2011, Agent Richie Raheb of the ASPCA's Humane Law Enforcement Division and star of Animal Planet's "Animal Precinct" accompanied Grim for a day of rescuing and promptly stated that the areas in St. Louis "were the worst he had ever scene."

Stray Rescue deals with abuse cases in the city daily and is currently working to build a comprehensive case in order to seek arrest for the individual(s) who committed these gruesome crimes.

To honor the deceased dogs that likely never knew anything but terror, Stray Rescue gave them names before having their remains cremated together: Brandy, Schnapps, Frangelico, Grand Marnier, and B&B.

People can help by reading about this abuse story online and then contacting St. Louis Mayor's Office, the Police Chief Isom, and other St. Louis Officials and express their outrage at this horrific abuse.

About Stray Rescue of St. Louis
Stray Rescue's mission is to lead the way towards making St. Louis a compassionate city where every companion animal knows health, comfort, and affection, and no stray is euthanized merely because he or she has been abandoned, abused, or neglected. As part of our mission, Stray Rescue is out on the streets daily taking a progressive, proactive approach to establishing a permanent resolution to the stray companion animal problem through dedicated rescue efforts, sheltering, community outreach programs, education, collaborations, and the encouragement of responsible pet guardianship.

Contact: Randy Grim, 314.267.0704, [email protected]
Jason Schipkowski, 314.740.5224, [email protected]

SOURCE Stray Rescue of St. Louis