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Two dead dogs were discovered along a road in Fruitland Township on Monday. The Muskegon County Sheriff's Office is investigating the case.

(Courtesy | Joe Weaver)

MUSKEGON, MI – The Muskegon County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the discovery of two pit-bull-type dogs apparently left for dead along Hyde Park Road.

Those involved in the discovery and attempting to find those responsible for the dogs’ deaths believe it is a case of dog fighting. They suspect the animals were left to die on the side of the road after they were used.

However, sheriff deputies have not drawn any conclusions concerning the findings of the dead animals.

The dogs were discovered by a nearby resident out on a walk on Sunday Feb. 23. The large powerful animals with visible injuries were found near a base of a tree just feet from the roadway.

Attempts to reach the McMillan Road resident who found the dead animals were not successful.

Muskegon County Sheriff's deputies were contacted concerning the gruesome discovery near Hyde Park and McMillan roads in Fruitland Township. The dogs were found near McMillan Elementary School in the Reeth-Puffer school district, according to Lt. Shane Brown.

The patrol lieutenant sent two county animal control officers to investigate the incident to determine if a crime was committed.

“At this point, we don’t know if it was dog fighting, a wild animal got to them or they were hit by a car,” Brown said, adding that it is not known whether the apparent injuries to the dogs were the cause of death or occurred after they had died.

The animal control officers have taken custody of the dogs’ bodies and will attempt to have them examined by a veterinarian, Brown said. He could not say how long the investigation could take.

Michele Barnes of the non-profit Michele’s Rescue has become involved in the case, working with the citizen who found the animals and trying to generate information for police. She placed seven photographs of the dogs on her rescue company’s Facebook page so those with information can contact authorities.

There is not much doubt in Barnes’ mind what happened.

“Not much doubt about it; it was dog fighting,” said the owner of the non-profit animal rescue organization based in Spring Lake. “It is a major problem in Muskegon County. All they had to do was let the dogs go.”

But the dead animals -- that looked to be pit-bull mix, the kind of used by those involved in organized dog fights – have galvanized those reading about the discovery on Facebook.

Michele’s Rescue put up the first $100 in reward money leading to those responsible for the dog deaths and discarding them along the side of the road.

By mid-day Monday, the reward funds had reached more than $600 and Michele's Rescue created a rewards contribution page on youcaring.com.

“Make the dog fighters pay!,” the youcaring.com page is entitled. “Reward for Information! Two Pit Bulls that were obviously fought were found dumped on the side of the road next to an elementary school for all to see. Like whoever had done it were proud of themselves. ”

The contribution page can be found at: www.youcaring.com/other/help-us-help-them-stop-the-dog-fighting-/142881



Dave Alexander covers business and local government for MLive/The Muskegon Chronicle. Email him at dalexan1@mlive.com and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.