An $8,000 reward is being offered for information in the case of a pet beagle that was found skinned-alive in southwest Missouri last month, police said Thursday.

Neosho police Lt. Jason Baird said the dog’s entire backside was removed from its neck to its tail and down to the top of its legs.

A subdivision resident reported seeing the injured animal emerge from a wooded area of Neosho – about 170 miles south of Kansas City – on Sept. 23, Baird said. The beagle was in obvious pain when officers caught it, and the decision was made to put it down, he added.

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Baird said the dog had been left inside a home while its owner was out of town and may have gotten out through an unsecured door.

“It takes a truly callous person to skin a dog alive and it’s completely heartbreaking to imagine the suffering this dog endured,” said Amanda Good, Missouri state director for the Humane Society of the United States. “We hope that this reward will encourage anyone with information about this terrible crime to come forward, not only to help seek justice for this animal, but also to ensure the safety of the entire community.”

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The community has contributed $3,000 to the reward, and the Humane Society announced Thursday that it’s chipping in $5,000.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.