Who’s dumping dead dogs in Capitol View?

Three dogs have been found wrapped in plastic or a garbage bag in nearly two months

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  • Benjamin Hodges
  • Capitol View residents have found three dogs wrapped in plastic or stuffed in a garbage bag since July

Darryl Roy loves living in Capitol View. The southwest Atlanta neighborhood that he’s called home for 10 years is diverse, affordable, and changing for the better, he says.

But over the last month and a half, he’s grown concerned over an unsettling discovery — dead dogs wrapped in plastic or stuffed in a garbage bag are being left on the side of the road. He and other residents are demanding public officials to find out who’s behind the dumpings and whether dog fighting is playing a role.

In July, Roy says he found a dead pitbull wrapped in contractor plastic on Erin Avenue in Capitol View. Several weeks later, another dog, also wrapped in contractor plastic, was found on Gennessee Avenue near Allene Avenue. Benjamin Hodges, another resident, says one of the animals was disemboweled. This week, yet another dog was discovered, this time in a kitchen garbage bag in the same spot. Roy says the animal appears to be young and was decomposing.

In each instance, Roy has contacted the city’s public works department to clean up the animals. The first was picked up by workers after being left in the street for several days when residents threatened to alert the media. No one has picked up the second dog, which someone tried to shove down a sewer after leaving its body on the side of the street.

“You shouldn’t have that recidivism,” Roy says. “If we’re reporting it, who’s dropping the ball?”

Roy says he could not determine if the dogs had any markings related to dog fighting. But he and Hodges think there’s a possibility considering the strange circumstances

“I believed that if you told the city, there’s reason to believe they’re being dumped, why they wouldn’t send someone out to investigate it?” Roy says. “Why they wouldn’t turn it over to another department or send someone out is beyond me.”

Atlanta Police say they haven’t been contacted about the dogs but urged residents to contact the force if they think there might be evidence of abuse or dog fighting.

“Abusing animals and dog fighting are crimes,” APD spokesman Carlos Campos. “If people think crimes are being committed, please call us.”