Animal Legal Defense Fund Offers $5,000 Reward to Case of Pit Bull Found Hooded, Taped, and Dead in Yolo County

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Yolo County, California — The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), the nation’s preeminent legal advocacy organization for animals, is contributing $5,000 to a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for the death of a pit bull found taped up, wrapped in a carpet, and left on the side of the road in Woodland. The Yolo County Sheriff’s Office Animal Services Unit arrived at the scene on the afternoon January 8, after a motorist driving near County Road 22 and the northbound Interstate 5 onramp stopped his vehicle and discovered the dog rolled up in carpet.

Animal Services Officers found that a plastic bag covered the deceased dog’s head and was taped around his neck, and that his front and back legs were also taped. The Sheriff’s Office describes the dog as an older male with cropped ears, and a mostly gray body, with some white on the underbody, chest, and face. The dog had died recently, according to a forensic pathologist.

Under California law, any person convicted of maliciously and intentionally maiming or killing an animal can be imprisoned for up to three years in county jail and/or fined $20,000 for felony animal cruelty. In California, it is at the district attorney’s discretion whether animal cruelty is charged as a felony.

“This innocent dog was senselessly tortured and killed and deserves justice. Anyone who would kill a defenseless dog in such a sick manner is also a danger to the community and needs to be taken off the streets,” says Stephen Wells, ALDF executive director. “We urge anyone who has any information about this case to come forward and help get justice for this dog.”

If you have information related to this incident, please contact Yolo County Sheriff’s Office Tip Line at 530-668-5248 or YoloCoSheriffTips@yolocounty.org; Yolo County Sheriff’s Animal Services at 530-668-5237; or complete the Anonymous Crime Tip Form.