PETA offers $5,000 reward to find suspect who abandoned over 50 dogs at Belvidere dog park

BELVIDERE, Ill. (WTVO) — Animal activist group PETA has issued a $5,000 reward for a tip that leads to the identification of the person who abandoned over 50 dogs in Belvidere’s Hammertime Dog Park last week.

“Dogs and cats depend on humans to keep them safe, yet someone cruelly dumped these dogs next to a busy road and left them to fend for themselves in the middle of a storm,” says PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) Senior Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “PETA asks anyone with information to come forward immediately and urges everyone never to buy animals from breeders, who treat them as nothing more than money-making machines.”

Mick Johnston took a video of the puppies running loose on the grounds, after a storm soaked the area in torrential rain on July 15th, and posted it to Facebook.

The 54 dogs were taken in by the Boone County Animal Services, who made a request for donations to help care for the sudden influx.

Wagging Hearts, North Central Maltese Rescues, Cause For Paws Rescue and Illinois & Boneifide Rescue ultimately took the animals.

Hammertime Unleashed Dog Park is located in the Beaver Bluffs Conservation Area along US 20 in Belvidere.

Authorities have not announced any suspects or arrests in the case.

PETA has encouraged anyone with information on the incident to contact the Boone County Sheriff’s Office at 815-544-9322.

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