Officials say abuser used a tool to pull puppies' jaws apart

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- East Bay officials are fearful that whoever is maiming and torturing puppies could also be abusing people. Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley walked into today's press conference with a dog named Chloe at Oakland animal services.

The 4-month-old female husky/shepherd mix just underwent major reconstructive surgery on her jaw. She was the third puppy found covered in oil and paint at 89th Ave. and G St. in Oakland over the weekend.

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Animal Services Director Rebecca Katz said, "On Saturday, May 26, two dogs were found left in a trash pile with significant injuries. One had her foot cut off, one dog had a jaw broken."

Freya's jaw break was severe. She is now recovering from extensive surgery in foster care in Fremont.

Her sister Frigg is getting along with a severed paw. Officials say they've never seen this level of animal cruelty with someone using a tool of some kind to pull apart the puppies' jaws. Intentional mutilation.

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Oakland police spokesperson Johnna Watson said "our concern and primary focus is if we have a person who is doing this to animals, are they going to or have they been doing this to a human being? It could be a child, it could be a baby."

O'Malley said, "76 percent of animal abusers are also abusing human members of their family."

An Alameda County animal abuse task force is working with investigators to interview witnesses, scour surveillance video and piece together a license plate of who might have dumped the dogs. Chloe, Frigg, and Freya were not part of an animal fighting ring.

They were not starving. They were socialized. And tortured. There is a $15,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

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