Humane Society Of U.S. Offers Reward In Davis Dog Skinning Investigation

Davis Animal Control Officer Clifton Kirby said the department is investigating the worst case of animal cruelty he’s ever seen. Three adult dogs, possibly greyhounds, were found by a department store worker in a dumpster behind the business on Main Street. The animals had been skinned, Kirby said.

Someone apparently put the carcasses there shortly before they were found on the morning of Aug. 25.

“Very disturbing, very disturbing,” Kirby said. “They would just have to be sick to do this. That’s just the bottom line. There has to be something wrong,” he continued.

Veterinary experts said the dogs had no other apparent injuries; their skin was just completely gone.

“We have no leads yet. We don’t know anything. But this isn’t something that needs to be going on,” Kirby said.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is trying to help investigators get some leads by offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for this.

“This is not to be taken lightly. The safety of this community is at stake,” Cynthia Armstrong said. Armstrong is the Oklahoma Senior State Director for the HSUS.

She said they are involved because there's a correlation between animal cruelty crimes and human violence. The HSUS wants to encourage the enforcement of laws against animal cruelty.

“Some of the people who perpetrate these heinous acts go on to hurt people in very dangerous ways.”

There's a good chance those responsible for this atrocity didn't keep it quiet.

So if there's word of who might've been at the helm, authorities hope they hear about it.

“We will catch whoever’s doing this,” Kirby told News 9.

The official cause of death has not been determined, but even if the animals had died of natural causes prior to their skin being removed, it is unlawful to dispose of them in that way, according to police.

Call Davis Police at 580-369-0987 with any tips.