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Couple finds dog skinned with its tail removed near Washington state river

Posted at 7:40 PM, Oct 08, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-08 19:40:06-04

OLYMPIA, Wash. – A couple out for a walk made a gruesome discovery near Olympia, Washington Friday: a dead dog that had been skinned and its tail removed.

Lt. Tim Rudloff with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office said the dog was found around 6:45 p.m. on 6th Avenue Southeast close to the Nisqually River.

Jacinda Gehrig and her boyfriend, Paul Krause, made the grisly find, according to KIRO.

“I almost fainted and blacked out and I had to walk away for a second and kind of get myself together,” Gehirg told the local news station. “I was so scared to go to sleep, like every time I closed my eyes, I saw the dog over and over.”

Rudloff said Monday it did not appear that the dog died of natural causes. There were no bite marks on the dog’s body or evidence that an animal was responsible.

Gehrig said she saw a pair of gloves with “fat around them.”

Krause called the sight “scarring,” adding that he hopes the person responsible doesn’t start targeting children.

It was unclear if this could be related to a series of cat mutilations in Washington state. Rudloff said the case is classified as an animal cruelty investigation.

Officials could not identify the dog’s breed.

Animal Services is also investigating and will perform a necropsy on the dog.