Canine killings have family demanding justice

One grieving family wants to know who killed their dogs and dumped them along the side of a river.

Their dogs, Jebediah, 2, and Deuteronomy, 1, disappeared from their Lynn Township home in Lehigh County on August 28th, around 7:00 p.m.

Their nicknames were Jeb and Dude.

"To lose a family pet is hard enough. To lose two at the same time, it's really unbearable," said Jeremiah Jones, owner of the dogs.

Jones says it all started when his 13-year-old son, Isaiah, let the dogs out to go to the bathroom like he always did. But when Jeb and Dude heard a noise, they took off running and never returned.

Jones says for his 13-year-old son, it was a crushing blow. "For about an hour he cried in my arms, it was sad. I have to hold back the tears right now. It was very hard, very hard," said Jones.

Jeb and Dude, both half-Bloodhound half-Labrador dogs, were wearing radio collars that emit low tones that alert them to return home should they venture too far away, but Jones says for some reason the dogs never returned.

"Whatever they were chasing after was more exciting than the stimulus [emitted from the dog collar]."

Three days later state police say they found Jeb and Dude on an embankment of Pine Creek, about a half-mile away from Route 143, near the Kempton Rod and Gun Club in Albany Township.

In addition to the dogs being found along Pine Creek, their collars were also missing.

Investigators add that Dude suffered a gunshot wound to the chest, and Jeb was shot in the leg. As a result, veterinary officials have classified their deaths as suspicious.

Neighbors were angry that someone would use the area as a dumping ground for dogs.

"That's not right at all. That's not what it's here for," said Nicki Greenawalt from Kempton. "That upsets me."

"I think that's horrible. I'm an animal lover. I've saved several animals already throughout my life, so yeah that's not good,' said Vanessa Stelzman, from Kempton.

For Jeremiah and his family, they just want justice for Jeb and Dude.

"And that it never happens again," said Jones.

Anybody with information on the deaths of Jeb and Dude is asked to contact Crime Alert: Berks County. The number is 877-373-9913.