So it turns out it was a raccoon, not a small dog, which was found hanging from a Bridesburg tree earlier this week.
Officials originally thought it was a gruesome case of a dog having a stick shoved down its throat and then being hanged from a tree but it was actually a raccoon that was already dead and was then hanged, according to the Pennsylvania SPCA.
"Based on results of the forensic examinations, it was determined that the severely decomposed animal found hanging in a tree in the Bridesburg section of the city was a raccoon that was deceased prior to being placed in the tree. While the circumstances of the animal's final disposition were very disturbing, there are currently no laws regarding the treatment of animal remains if they are already deceased."
A man walking his dog Wednesday evening found the small animal hanging from a tree on the 5600 block of Tacony Street, the SPCA said. The dead animal apparently had a stick shoved down its throat, officials said.
"It appears that the dog’s been out there for at least two days -- it’s starting to decompose," PSPCA investigator George Bengal said after the discovery.
The decomposition likely led to officials misidentifying the raccoon as a dog.
And even though the animal was already dead when it was strung up, officials still hope to find the person or people who put it there.
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"The Pennsylvania SPCA is continuing to investigate to determine whether the animal's death was a result of cruelty," said the PSPCA in a statement.
"Whoever did this is a sick individual," Bengal said Wednesday. "This was definitely deliberately done."
Anyone with info on the case should contact the PSPCA at 215-426-6300.
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