KALISPELL – Authorities are investigating the apparent beating death of a dog whose body was found submerged in the Tobacco River near Eureka.
A man picnicking near the river Saturday morning discovered the dog’s body in 5 or 6 inches of water and notified animal control officers.
Wendy Anderson, director of the Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter, said she found a 3-foot circle of blood-soaked ground as well as blood splatter near the Pigeon Bridge off Montana 37.
A bloody drag-trail led to an area on the bridge where Anderson said the dog, a female black Labrador mix, was likely hung off the side and dropped 20 feet into the river.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office has launched an animal cruelty investigation, Detective Jim Sweet said, but no suspects have been identified.