HANOVER TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- The Luzerne County SPCA needs help finding whoever left a dead dog in a duffel bag the woods.
The dog was discovered over the weekend with a muzzle over its mouth and its legs bound.
The SPCA says the dog had been left in the woods so long it's hard to determine who left it there.
A weekend walk in the woods in Hanover Township near the Susquehanna River led to the gruesome discovery.
Angie Petix says her husband found a duffel bag wrapped in an orange tarp. Inside the bag he discovered the remains of a dog.
"It has a basket muzzle over its face. Its body was wrapped very tightly. Its legs and everything were wrapped very tightly," said Petix.
She and her husband called the Luzerne County SPCA to investigate.
The director of the SPCA says the dog was killed somewhere else and then brought to that site. He says the dog had been there for months and that it was so badly decomposed that the only way the SPCA can find out whoever did this is for someone in the community to come forward.
"We have very little evidence or leads to go on," Luzerne County SPCA executive director Todd Hevner said. "We really would need the assistance of our community to come forward. Hopefully, somebody recognizes the tarp or the area in which the animal was found."
The SPCA director and Petix both believe whoever left the dog there was familiar with the location because you can't get to it by driving.
"People need to know what's going on, and hopefully somebody knows there's a dog missing, and they can report it, and hopefully, find the owner and press charges. I know I would," Petix said.
"It's heartbreaking. It's unfortunate, and it's not necessary. If anything can come out of this, I'd like our community to know this isn't necessary. If you can no longer care for your animal, if you do not want your animal, whatever the reason, there are alternatives," Hevner added.
If you know anything about the dog, you're asked to contact the Luzerne County SPCA.