Hikers find dead dog in 'torture chamber' cage buried in the ground

CASS TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- (WNEP) -- State police in Schuylkill County are searching for the person who killed a dog by burying it alive in a cage.

Workers at the Ruth Steinert Memorial SPCA say this is the worst case of animal cruelty they've ever seen. They say when they found the dog's body near Minersville, there was no doubt it was intentionally left there to die.

Ruth Steinert Memorial SPCA workers took photos to show the gruesome discovery that they describe as the worst case of animal cruelty they've ever seen: a dog cage buried in the ground, covered with some old pieces of wood.

The SPCA got a call over the weekend that led animal cruelty officers into the woods off Thomaston Road near Minersville. There they found a pit bull locked in a cage that was partially buried in the ground.

"Whoever did this went to great effort and was sick," said SPCA manager Lori Sult. "They basically built a torture chamber for this dog."

SPCA workers estimate the dog had been left there for about two months.

Workers say it appears the dog starved to death.

SPCA manager Lori Sult says that whoever left the dog in the woods had options. They could have taken it to either one of the two SPCA facilities in the county.

"If you don't want to deal with the SPCAs, not that it would be the right thing to do, but if you're going to dump an animal, just release it," Sult said.

Now that state police are involved, Sult and the rest of the SPCA community are hoping the person responsible will be brought to justice.

"This dog died a horrible, horrible death. There was just so many other options. The dog did not have to die this way."

The Ruth Steinert Memorial SPCA is offering a reward for information on this case. If you know anything about the dog, you're asked to contact state police in Frackville.