Left inset: Reba the English bulldog fights for her life late last week (KLAS). Right: the plastic bin the dog was heard whimpering inside of (Vegas Pet Rescue Project).
Police in Las Vegas, Nevada, have reportedly launched an animal torture and starvation probe after an English bulldog named Reba was left to die last week inside a plastic container near a dumpster on a day where temperatures reached as high as 110 degrees.
The case landed on the radar of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department last Thursday after witnesses heard the sounds of a “whimpering” dog coming from a taped bag within the plastic bin and took steps to cool the canine down nearby before getting emergency help, local CBS affiliate KLAS reported.
It was clear from the start that Reba was in dire condition — dehydrated and suffering from heat stroke — and was in need of 24-hour care, so the Veterinary Emergency Group reportedly provided that care and the animal rescue nonprofit Vegas Pet Rescue Project ramped up efforts help catch whoever did this, raising awareness of the case on social media and on the local news.
Though it was reported late last week that the dog’s condition was improving, Reba ultimately succumbed Saturday to “sudden cardiac arrest” linked to blot clots from “severe heat stroke and shock,” the Vegas Pet Rescue Project announced.
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“Terrible news to report. Our baby Reba just passed away. She went into sudden cardiac arrest from the DIC blood clotting condition she developed as a result of the severe heat stroke and shock. The only saving grace is that it was sudden and she felt no pain,” the group said Saturday. “We did try to revive her for quite some time, but she was gone. She is now over that beautiful rainbow bridge. Perfectly happy and healthy. She stayed with us just long enough so we could get her story out there and to find her abuser and murderer. JUSTICE FOR REBA !!!!”
As of Monday afternoon, the organization’s reward fund has increased to $21,500, money that it said would go to “any person who comes forward with the person who is responsible for this evil act” of leaving Reba to die behind a grocery store near Maryland Parkway.
In response to Law&Crime’s inquiry, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Public Information Office confirmed that no arrests have been made yet but that an investigation is “ongoing.”
“This is an open and ongoing investigation. No arrests have been made at this time,” the statement said. “We urge anyone who may have any information regarding this incident to please contact Crime Stoppers of Nevada at 702-385-5555.”
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