Reward now $2G in Bay Shore puppy death

A puppy found next to a garbage pail in Bay Shore died of blunt force trauma to the head, the Suffolk SCPA said Saturday.

"The female puppy was only 2 weeks old and its eyes weren't open yet," the agency said in a news release increasing the reward to $2,000 to catch whoever's responsible.

SPCA detectives and Suffolk County police found what appeared to be a dead pit bull puppy at a dock at the end of Maple Avenue on Thursday at about 9 p.m., according to a news release.

The puppy, about two weeks old, was tied around the waist with a rope, which extended from its body to the inside of the garbage container, said SPCA Chief Roy Gross. A small chicken bone was attached to the other end of the rope, Gross said.

Gross said the death might be a ritual of some kind, "but I really don't know. We're hoping to find that out."

Gross said SPCA detectives think someone might have seen the puppy killed and hoped that the reward would prompt a response. He called it a "horrible act of animal cruelty."

Anyone with information can call the Suffolk County SPCA at 631-382-7722. All calls will be kept confidential.