HOWARD (NBC 26) — Somewhere in the brush at the West Deerfield Kayak Launch, a grim scene unfolded when two dogs were found dead. In Pamperin Park on Sunday, another dead dog was discovered inside a shoe box.
- See the parks where three dead dogs were found in Howard
- The community is encouraged to assist with the investigation
- Those with information can reach out to Howard’s Animal Control Officer at 920-530-1044 or by email at matkinson@villageofhoward.com
Animal Control Officer Matt Atkinson is looking for any information the community may have regarding this unsettling incident. One of the dogs was discovered in a shoe box at Pamperin Park, while the other two were located at the West Deerfield Boat Launch.
Watch Pari Apostolakos' full broadcast story below:
Three dead dogs found at Howard parks
Officer Atkinson said the dog found in the park likely died of natural causes, but the remains of the other two found at the kayak launch were decayed, and it remains unclear what led to their deaths.
Mary Schlautman, a volunteer with “Get Toby Home,” a local nonprofit that assists in the search for lost dogs, said the news came as a shock.
“It’s disturbing to come across such a sight,” Schlautman said. Mary talked about the importance of community awareness, particularly in parks where children may stumble upon things like this.
“We hope to raise awareness about not dumping dogs in the community,” she said.
In Green Bay, volunteer Joe Becker at Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary questioned why this occurred.
“I can see a lot of reasons why that happened,” Becker said. “Some of them are fairly benign; some of them are pretty horrific.”
Becker suspects that someone may have left the dogs in the parks, unsure how to handle the situation after their deaths.
“If somebody didn’t know what to do and called us, [we] would direct them in the right direction rather than have them dump the animals,” Becker said.
Officer Atkinson is not ruling out any possibilities in this ongoing investigation and hopes to find the dogs' owners. The community is encouraged to assist, and those with information can reach out to Howard’s Animal Control Officer at (920) 530-1044 or by email at matkinson@villageofhoward.com.
