Reward being offered for information leading to an arrest

(LOS ANGELES, May 3, 2011) – CesarsWay.com has just learned of a devastating dog abandonment situation that occurred off the Imperial Highway near a Southern California dog park this past Wednesday night, April 27. Many of the dogs were immediately hit by oncoming traffic as they fled for safety.

Describing a scene of complete mayhem with several small white terrier-type dogs swerving in and out of traffic on this busy highway next to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on the corner of Main Street, witnesses at the scene heard brakes screech and watched one of the dogs get hit, dragged 20 feet, and then come out from underneath the vehicle behind. The first driver did not stop.

Playa del Rey resident Kellie Peters, who runs a local marketing and public relations business and is a cat owner, stopped her car mid-traffic to grab the loose dog from the treacherous highway and bring him to safety. The dog bit her as she tried to help, clearly terrified, she said, and as she held him in a blanket to prevent further biting and curb bleeding. She along with Charlotte Hefti, a music teacher in El Segundo who also pulled over to help, immediately took him to an emergency veterinary hospital.

“I grew up on a farm in Colorado with horses and dogs and cats, and was always around animals, where they get injured or need help, but I’ve never seen anything like this,” Peters said.

Many arrived at the scene to assist the dogs that were injured and locate and capture the other loose dogs. Michelle Friedman, a local paramedic nurse, was on her way home when she saw one of the dogs running loose along the side of the road.

“I went really slow, put on my hazards to keep other cars from passing me and I opened the door to grab him, then he ran into oncoming traffic,” Friedman said. “I went to the next corner and pulled over and along with a couple others who had stopped, we tried to keep them corralled while police were on their way. It was a nightmare.”

Friedman described a scene in which at least three pairs of dogs had begun to mate, making it difficult to capture and separate them.

The El Segundo Police Department dispatched two officers to assist. They took six dogs to the South Bay Pet adoption Center SPCA in Hawthorne. The SPCA was not immediately available for comment.

When the dog saved by Peters was first brought in for treatment, “his vital signs were too unstable to undergo surgery, he had blood coming out of his eyes, fluid in abdominal cavity, and evidence of internal bleeding,” she said. “I had no choice but to take this dog home that night, when the first vet said they wouldn’t or couldn’t do anything to help without payment upfront. I’m so glad there were rescue organizations that stepped up to help. I couldn’t just leave him there.” That dog, named “Carson,” is now being treated at Brent Air Animal Hospital for internal and external injuries, including a broken rib. He was scheduled to be neutered today, but further bleeding and complications have caused a delay. Despite the setback, doctors are still hopeful for a full recovery.

“Kellie truly was an angel as she bent over in traffic to save this dog,” said animal advocate Kim Sill, who along with Rock and Rescue is overseeing Carson’s care. Pending a full recovery, he will be re-homed through the Bark n Bitches organization.

Throughout the 6-hour saga Wednesday night, there were approximately two dozen local residents helping to rescue and save the dogs. With a popular dog park so close in the vicinity, some speculated whether the dogs were dumped with the intention of them making it to the dog park for refuge and rescue. However, according to a dialogue on Facebook following the incident, a couple of witnesses reported seeing a white van traveling down the Imperial Highway (State Route-90), a popular route between eastern Los Angeles and the beach communities, pull off to the side around 6:30 p.m. and dump approximately 15 dogs. Those witnesses could not be tracked down and the information cannot be corroborated at this time. Any and all leads are appreciated and should be directed to the El Segundo Police Department.

“This is a small community, five square miles,” said Lieutenant Carlos Mendoza, of the El Segundo PD’s Special Operations Unit, which oversees Animal Control. “We occasionally get calls on strays, but have never seen this many before. If we get any information, we’ll definitely follow-up on it and see if any abuse or wrongdoing occurred, and if so, we’ll take action accordingly.”

Being so close to the airport, many of the buildings in the area have surveillance cameras. Volunteers and those who saw the events unfold are hoping local businesses and security will check their footage and come forward with any possible leads.

Sill’s organization D Cups Saving Tea Cups is offering a $3,500 reward for information that leads to the identification and arrest of the individual responsible for this act of cruelty. And Katherine Heigl's Foundation has added another $1500 reward on top of that.

Any donations made to the Millan Foundation’s DEAR Fund between now and May 10, 2011 will be given to Carson’s care.

Around the country, such cruelty is all too prevalent. Just in the last month, illegal dog dumping has come under investigation at a dog park in Tampa, Fl., a woman in Newark, NJ was charged with neglect from dumping a dog down a trash chute, and in early April an arrest was made in Louisville, KY in a similar case of dog dumping from a car.