Reward for information on dogs' deaths

An animal rights group has put up a $2000 reward for information about the deaths of two dogs suspected of being shot dead after are being run over by a car.

Rachel Watson and partner Roy Ellis, owners of 10-year-old foxy-Labrador cross, Chevy, and eight-year-old boxer, Toby, found blood, shotgun cartridges and a collar in the middle of the road near their home in Tahuna, in Waikato, last week.

The dogs had been asleep in their kennels late on Friday but were missing on Saturday morning.

Ms Watson found pools of blood and blood drag marks and two shotgun cartridges about 2km along the road. She also found Toby's leather collar which had several pellet holes in it.

Sergeant Vic Sneddon, of Morrinsville police, said the collar and casings were being fingerprinted and police had gone door to door speaking to neighbours. He said he believed the dogs might have been hit by a car and that someone put down the animals because of their injuries.

Auckland-based animal rights group Paw Justice offered a $2000 reward for any information leading to an arrest.

Paw Justice's Craig Dunn told The Waikato Times he was "absolutely disgusted" to hear about what happened to Chevy and Toby.

He said Tahuna was a small community and someone must know something

"Hopefully under the public pressure, someone will buckle."

- NZPA