Police find 8 dogs dead on Grey Cloud Island, investigate potential animal abuse

Cottage Grove Police have discovered the bodies of eight dogs near a road southeast of the Twin Cities and are investigating whether it was animal abuse.

An off-duty officer noticed the dogs' bodies around 12:30 p.m. Sunday on Grey Cloud Island, in the treeline near Grey Cloud Island Drive, the Cottage Grove Police Department said in a news release.

The dogs were a smaller variety, and included a Schnauzer and other similar-sized white dogs, which could also be a terrier breed, the department said. They ranged from puppy-age to adults, and had been left there recently, according to the release.

They did not appear to be malnourished and looked like they had been well cared for, department spokesman Dan Schoen said. Police have not yet determined a cause of death and are investigating whether animal cruelty was involved, he added.

"It's very possible this was somebody who just couldn't take care of eight dogs of varying ages and decided this is the way to deal with it," Schoen said.

Charges can range from a misdemeanor to a felony in cases of animal cruelty, Schoen said, noting it is legal to take an animal's life if they are euthanized in a humane way.

The dogs were taken Sunday to Minnesota's Animal Humane Society, which is performing autopsies, public relations strategist Brittany Baumann said Monday.

The police department is urging anyone struggling to take care of their pets to seek help and find them homes instead of taking an animal's life.

"There are so many organizations willing to help, and would have gotten these dogs rehomed," Schoen said.

Cottage Grove Police are requesting anyone who was in the area and saw a stopped vehicle or who knows someone missing these kinds of dogs to provide that information. Those with information can contact officer Tou Vue at 651-458-6052 or email tvue@cottagegrovemn.gov. Tipsters can remain anonymous.

The dogs' location was near the intersection with Grey Cloud Island Trail, where a portable toilet is placed between a large culvert and a bridge.

Information about the Animal Humane Society and surrendering pets can be found online at animalhumanesociety.org/surrendering-pet or by phone at 952-435-7738.