DEER LODGE - Deer Lodge citizens are concerned about the recent discovery of the mummified remains of a pit bull just outside of town.
John Greenwood had discovered the animal when a neighbor approached him to check it out.
"We thought it might be a cat with a tracker collar on it and when we got out here, we saw it was a dog," said Greenwood.
Around the neck of the mummified pit bull were two remote-controlled shock collars.
Greenwood says the dog appeared forced down into the slope of trees where it ultimately died.
"It was automatically in my mind that this was an animal abuse case and that this dog suffered something fierce with those two shock collars on her," Greenwood said.
Greenwood says last summer, two dogs were found dead in wooded areas west of Deer Lodge.
Powell County law enforcement confirmed another dog was found deceased in the same area as the pit bull.
The Powell County Sheriff says not to worry and there’s no indication that this dog is connected to other dead dogs found near the west side of Deer Lodge.
"The incident involving the two deceased dogs were not related in any way that we know of. The time frame of the death is quite a ways apart," said Sheriff Gavin Roselles.
Roselles says that since the dog had been there for several months, it is difficult to determine the cause of death.
"Unfortunately, dogs die and sometimes through our investigation we find that the owners of the dog are responsible, other times we find that it was accidental in nature. At this point in our investigation, there hasn’t been any indication that it was nefarious in nature." - Powell County Sheriff Gavin Roselles
Sheriff Roselles reminds pet owners that they have an obligation to take care of their animals.
