(WHDH) — An animal shelter in Ohio is mourning the loss of one of its dogs after she was killed while participating in a prison rehabilitation program last month.
Josephs Legacy rescue shared a post to Facebook dedicated to one of its resident dogs, a German shepherd mix named Evie, who was killed while taking part in an inmate program in the Warren Correctional Institution on Aug. 25.
Twenty of the shelter’s dogs were involved in the program, which oversaw prison inmates learning how to train the animals, according to a report.
The shelter said a report stated Evie died from “blunt force trauma to her abdomen,” causing her liver to hemorrhage.
“Evie was an extremely sweet dog who had so much more life, happy moments and years ahead of her. Our volunteers are hurting so deeply. Confused how such an amazing happy dog can be intentionally harmed. How safety measures have failed her. Please keep our volunteers in your thoughts and prayers as we try to process this tragedy within our family,” the Facebook post read.
All participating animals have been pulled since Evie’s death.
The Ohio prison system has “zero tolerance” for animal abuse, a prisons spokeswoman said Tuesday.
The State Highway Patrol is investigating the death.
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