A $5,000 reward is being offered in connection with the death of a puppy in Toledo. According to the Toledo Area Humane Society, the puppy was reportedly attacked by a group of children while adults looked on.

The two-month-old pup was rescued by a Good Samaritan. She was first taken to Lucas County Canine Care and Control and then brought to TAHS.

Emergency vets began treating the puppy right away. Dr. Anna Brown is the shelter vet, "She was dragging her back legs and wasn't moving them. She was taken to an emergency vet clinic. Her x-rays showed she had a broken back and dislocation of two vertebrae."

The puppy also had broken ribs and internal injuries. There was a small glimmer of hope that she would be able to pull through, but Dr. Brown says the severity of her injuries was too much to overcome, "She had blood entering the chest cavity from the trauma. Of course the concern was about cardiovascular compromise. She did develop that later that night, and she passed away."

Stephen Heaven is the head of TAHS. He says children were kicking the puppy around in alley in the 700 block of Dorr Street when the Good Samaritan heard the dog scream out in pain, "She chased the kids off and grabbed the puppy. She said there were adults standing around not doing anything. We don't know if the adults were encouraging the kids or played an active role."

Heaven says the search is now on for everyone involved in this case, "The reward will be given to anyone who gives us information that leads to the prosecution of these kids. We will be seeking felony convictions for everyone we can find who was involved in this."

The reward money will come from a special fund set up by an anonymous donor. It was established in memory of a dog named Hope. Hope was emaciated when she was rescued and brought to the shelter. She later died, "People can donate to Hope's Fund and we use the money for situations like this to try to help all the animals that come in through our cruelty department."

While cases like this are difficult on the entire shelter staff, Dr. Brown says it reminds them of why they got into this line of work, "There are more good days than bad. But when it comes to the bad cases we are all here to speak for the animals and make someone pay for what they've done."

Heaven says the puppy's body has been sent to Michigan State University to determine the cause of death.

If you know anything about this case, you're asked to call the TAHS Cruelty Department. Any information will be kept confidential. The Cruelty Department number is (419) 482-7103. We've also posted a link to the shelter's website.