WHIDBEY ISLAND, Wash. — A Whidbey Island family’s two dogs were found dead after they escaped from their yard, and the Island County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help finding their killer.
According to a poster from the sheriff’s office, Beretta and Kimber escaped on November 19.
Deputies say someone violently killed the dogs and dumped their bodies near a trailhead for Dugualla State Park.
Their collars had been removed.
“Devastated and heartbroken, just kinda sickening,” said the dogs’ owner Jenna Smeltzer.
Smeltzer told KIRO 7 she got a call that a hiker found the dogs’ bodies five days after they disappeared.
“When we saw them they’re just like stacked on top of each other like in the tall grass,” she explained.
She is still in shock that anyone could hurt her two fur babies.
Smeltzer described Beretta as a 3-year-old black lab who loved people.
“Just gentle giant he loved kids and always got along with other pets,” she explained.
She says she will also miss 2-year-old Kimber who was full of energy.
“Her tail would hit her sides just from wiggling so much... [she was] very vocal, like say hi,” Smeltzer explained.
Her third puppy, Ruger, also escaped that day but was found near her home. Smeltzer is grateful he is safe, but says things aren’t the same without Beretta and Kimber.
“The house definitely feels a lot more like empty. It’s the little things that they would do every day that you don’t have anymore,” she said.
The sheriff’s office estimates that someone killed the dogs between Nov. 19, when they got out of their yard, and Nov. 24.
A $5,000 reward is being offered for information that can help solve this case.
Tips can be emailed to tips@co.island.wa.us or you can call (360) 679-9567.