Three rewards offered totaling 20K to help find suspect in dog's death at Mother's Beach

MARINA DEL REY (CNS / FOX 11) - WARNING GRAPHIC PHOTO:

The Board of Supervisors offered a $10,000 reward for information that leads to whoever decapitated a dog found today in Ballona Creek, and for the drowning of a puppy, which had been tied to a shovel and left to perish when the tide came in at Mother's Beach in Marina del Rey.

Supervisor Don Knabe recommended the reward, adding to two $5,000 rewards offered Monday by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Humane Society of the United States in the case of the drowned puppy.

"Both of these incidents are the work of an absolute monster," Knabe said. "It is sickening to think there is someone out there committing heinous acts of cruelty towards animals."

Knabe said the Sheriff's Department and Department of Animal Care and Control are investigating all leads. A spokesman for Knabe said the supervisor was concerned that the two incidents could be related.

Authorities were notified of the first death last Wednesday morning by a group of lightweight-boat paddlers who said they noticed a blue-handled shovel sticking out of the water. When they got closer, they were shocked to find a mixed-breed puppy tied to it.

A black rope had been wrapped around the dog's neck and the lower portion of the partially submerged shovel in the 14100 block of Palawan Way.

"The dog was intentionally left there to die when the tides rose," Knabe said.

The DACC was working to get updated information on the puppy. "We have an outdated tag with the name of a former owner," Aaron Reyes, deputy director of the DACC, said Monday.

PETA is hoping the reward money will entice a tipster to come forward. "This little dog endured the error and agony of being staked to the sand and drowning in the rising ocean waters," said PETA Senior Director Colleen O'Brien. "PETA urges anyone with information about this crime to come forward immediately, before whoever is responsible for this animal's horrifying death hurts someone else."

One of the paddlers, Malia Zimmerman, posted a photo of the drowned dog to her Facebook page. "Sometimes people can be extraordinarily cruel," she wrote. "We already reported this act of animal cruelty but it would be great to catch the puppy killer.'

Anyone with information on either crime was asked to call sheriff's Deputy Jeff Slutske of the Marina del Rey sheriff's station at (310) 482-6000.

Earlier:

Two animal rights organizations are offering rewards for information that leads to whoever is responsible for the death of a dog that was tied to a shovel on Mother's Beach in Marina del Rey.

The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control and the sheriff's department are investigating the death of the tethered mixed-breed puppy that likely drowned as the tide came in.

Authorities were notified of the death last Wednesday morning by a group of lightweight-boat paddlers who said they noticed a blue-handled shovel sticking out of the water. When they got closer, they were shocked to find the animal tied to it.

A black rope had been wrapped around the dog's neck and the lower portion of the partially submerged shovel in the 14100 block of Palawan Way.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Humane Society of the United States are both offering $5,000 rewards, according to Aaron Reyes, deputy director of the county DACC.

Reyes said "we're still looking at leads. We're trying to get some updated information. We have an outdated tag with the name of a former owner. But this is like many such investigations. We have many scenarios in the list, digging up and calling and interviewing people.''

PETA is hoping the reward money will entice a tipster to come forward.

"This little dog endured the error and agony of being staked to the sand and drowning in the rising ocean waters,'' said PETA Senior Director Colleen O'Brien. "PETA urges anyone with information about this crime to come forward immediately, before whoever is responsible for this animal's horrifying death hurts someone else.''

One of the paddlers, Malia Zimmerman, posted a photo of the dog to her Facebook page.

"Sometimes people can be extraordinarily cruel,'' she wrote. "We already reported this act of animal cruelty but it would be great to catch the puppy killer."

Anyone with information was asked to call the Department of Animal Care and Control at (562) 728-4572.