Wild animals pull dog carcasses from dumpster, sheriff says

Authorities said two dogs found dead in a ditch in the Town of Fulton were pulled from a nearby dumpster by wild animals. The dogs had been killed by their owner’s daughter after the man could not care for them any longer, according to the Rock County Sheriff’s Department.

On Friday, deputies responded to a call of dog carcasses found near North Goede Road and Jason Drive, the report said. The person reporting the dogs told the sheriff’s department the animals appeared to have been mistreated and dismembered.

A Rock County Humane Officer said an examination of the dogs revealed that they were most likely dismembered by wild animals that found the carcasses.

The sheriff’s department said Elizabeth Koogan, 41, of Mineral Point, was cited for littering and improper disposal of the animal carcasses.

According to the report, Koogan’s father was the pet owner but had moved and couldn’t care for the dogs anymore “due to the age of the dogs and his personal situation.” The sheriff’s department said Koogan “humanely euthanized” the dogs and attempted to dispose of the carcasses, putting them in a dumpster near the Newville area. The sheriff’s department said the dumpster was about 100 yards from the ditch line where the dogs were found.

Another dog was found dead in the same area March 28 by the same person who found the two dogs Friday, but authorities said there was no apparent link between the two cases. The sheriff said in a statement that the department would continue to investigate the March 28 incident “as new information arises.”