Suspects Sought in Torture Death of Dog

A Pug dog that served as a companion for an elderly deaf woman died Tuesday after being skinned alive by unknown tormentors, authorities said.

“Pal,” a 35-pound male, walked out about 7:30 p.m. Monday through the doggy door of his master’s residence near Petit Avenue and Morrison Street, said Dr. Melvyn Richkind, the Northridge veterinarian who treated the dog.

The elderly woman who owned the purebred Pug--a stubby breed known for its wrinkled face--came out to look for him about 7:30 a.m Tuesday and found him bleeding under a bush, Richkind said. She called her daughter who took the dog to the veterinarian’s office in the afternoon.

Richkind said sometime during the night someone skinned the dog’s coat from the shoulders to the tail. When the animal arrived at his office it was suffering from severe dehydration and infection, Richkind said.

“It appeared as though the animal was in deep shock,” he said.

Although the dog initially responded to treatment, he died about 4:30 p.m. from dehydration and infection.

State investigators were relying on the public for leads about possible suspects, Richkind said.

“We’re hoping someone was seen in the neighborhood,” he said.