Two dogs found, killed execution-style

Two pet dogs were found shot to death Sunday and laid out tail to tail "like bookends" along railroad tracks in Pennsbury Township, Chester County, an official said this morning.

Rich Britton, spokesman for the Chester County SPCA, said the bodies of Emma and Luna were found by a woman walking in the woods near Brintons Bridge Road. He called the crime "a horrible new wrinkle."

The dogs had been reported missing Saturday from a family farm three miles from where they were found Sunday afternoon.

They were deliberately posed, in a "strange" way, Britton said. Each had been shot once between the eyes in execution style.

"The dogs were placed with their backs to the tracks and their tails towards each other," Britton said. "These were two young dogs - one was two; the other, a year and a half. It breaks your heart that anyone could do this."

There were no other marks on the dogs' bodies, Britton said. A necropsy, the term used for an animal autopsy, was being conducted today at the animal shelter in West Chester.

Neighbors reported seeing a red Ford 150 pickup truck in the area with its lights flashing at around the time the animals disappeared, Britton said. Authorities are seeking that vehicle.

The pets had the run of a 100-acre farm, Britton said.

"There were no issues with the neighbors," he said.

The SPCA has three animal-protection officers working on the case full time, and is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the crime.

Britton said the number to call is 610-692-6113, ext. 213.