57 Dogs Found Mysteriously Poisoned, Shot to Death In Arkansas Wooded Area

It is believed at least 57 dogs were brought to the area before they were fed poison and shot, with some left struggling with their wounds, officials said.

Lumber mill workers examining timber tracts in a secluded Arkansas wooded area made a gruesome discovery when they found almost 60 dogs poisoned and shot to death, authorities said.

The two people stumbled upon the massacre Thursday afternoon just off Arkansas 254 in the Chimes-Trace Ridge Area, a remote timber land where no one lives, KY3-TV reported.

It is believed at least 57 dogs were brought to the area before they were fed poison and shot, with some left struggling with their wounds, officials said.

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“Systematically just start shooting and leave them lying and not even making sure that they’re dead,” Searcy County Sheriff Joey Pruitt told KY3-TV. “This is my first in 25 years of law enforcement; I’ve never seen anything like this.”

No suspects have been named.

A handful of animals survived the mayhem, with one male dog recovering at Searcy County Humane Society from a bullet wound to his shoulder.

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Two skittish female pups were also brought to the humane society, as was another dog that jumped into rescuer John Magruder’s truck.

“He took a treat and he was in the truck (immediately),” Magruder told the television station. "Who could hurt him? Why would you hurt him?"

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