Police link dog heads found in Dumpster to medical company

Police have solved the mystery of how six dogs' heads ended up in a Largo restaurant's Dumpster last week, but questions still remain.

The heads were used for legal veterinary training purposes by a licensed medical company, police say.

They released some information this week to ease public concerns. But police are not yet ready to disclose the name of the company responsible or many other details.

That's because they're still investigating the case, according to Largo police Lt. Mike Loux.

"I don't want to tip our hand on anything," Loux said. "Our goal is to ensure that if there's a violation of law, we enforce it."

There are rules that govern the disposal of biological waste, but police are still researching them.

"This isn't the type of case that we deal with typically," Loux said.

The canines' heads were legally obtained and were from animals that had previously been euthanized, police say.

A kitchen manager found them in the trash behind Tucson's Southwest Grill on March 30, said Paul Kizilelma, assistant general manager.

"I don't understand why they would do that in our garbage can," Kizilelma said.

Animal advocates also are puzzled.

Just because the canines were used for medical purposes doesn't mean it's okay to dispose of them that way, said Barbara Snow, executive director of the Humane Society of Pinellas.

"The sensitivity of the public has to be taken into consideration," she said.

Rick Chaboudy, executive director of the Suncoast Animal League, said the whole thing doesn't make sense.

"I think it put people at ease that there's not some crazy person running around doing bad things to animals," Chaboudy said.

But he added, "How legitimate is someone if they pull up to somebody's Dumpster and put in body parts? There's still something wrong with this picture."

Lorri Helfand can be reached at lorri@sptimes.com or (727) 445-4155.