Animal advocates in New Jersey want to know why the discovery in late June of seven dead pit bulls inside a green plastic storage container near an area known for illegal dog fighting was never investigated by local police.
“It is very concerning to the Irvington community that someone among them could commit such an act of animal cruelty,” reads an online petition which has 600 signatures so far. “The community deserves answers, and these seven dogs deserve justice.”
The grisly find was made on June 25 at the corner of 16th Avenue and 20th Street in Irvington.
The tub could barely hold the dogs’ bodies. Obtained by the New York Post
The corner where the tub was found is not far from the Newark border. Leonardo MunozA disturbing photo of the tub shows the dogs were either tan, black, or a mixture of both.
The dog on top of the pile looks like it was probably still a puppy.
Irvington public works employees found the deceased dogs, and reported it to Irvington’s Animal Control.
South Orange resident Kelly Conover launched the online petition and claims illegal dog fighting is commonplace in the area.
“They have someone in their community who is doing this, and they don’t seem concerned,” Conover told The Post. “What kind of monster does this and thinks they can get away with it. By doing nothing, it sends a message to the community that we don’t give a s–t, that you can leave them dead, piled up in a tub on the side of the road and we don’t give a s–t.”.
The report by Animal Control claims the dogs showed no signs of malnutrition, and had no open wounds or obvious trauma.
It also noted security cameras in the area were either broken or facing away from where the tub was dumped.
It remains unclear why Irvington Police decided against investigating the deaths. Leonardo Munoz
Residents want the person who dumped the tub to be held accountable. Leonardo MunozThe report assumes the dogs died from heat exposure, noting the presence of blisters on their carcasses. But necropsies were never performed to determine what actually killed them.
“They could have been poisoned or suffocated, but we don’t know what killed them,” said Conover, a psychologist, who was told by officials the bodies were humanely disposed of.
The dogs’ bodies were relatively fresh, and none of them had an identifying microchip, the report stated.
Irvington Police did not respond to The Post’s multiple requests for comment.
