Reward for information on dog killer
THE owners of the dog that was brutally killed in New Ross earlier this month are offering a reward for information that will lead to the kiler’s arrest.
The dog, Gizmo, was found on the night of December 3 under a tyre with his tongue cut out, his stomach sliced open, and his hair black from being set on fire in wasteground by his owner Bobby Katus, 66, and a friend in New Ross.
Bobby and his wife Sheila Katus had Gizmo since he was a puppy for 14 years and he was a much loved household pet, according to their granddaughter Symone, who said her grandparents have been inundated with messages of support since their dog was killed.
Symone, 23, said: ‘ The support we received following what happened to our little Gizmo has been truly heart warming and honestly it really makes you realise that even though there are some sick, cruel people out there, there are also an abundance of lovely people as well that would never dream of hurting an animal.’
She said her grandparents have received cards from all over the country from people who were touched by Gizmo’s story.
‘It is honestly such a nice gesture to think even someone all the way down in Cork was thinking of them to send them a card, and just words of encouragement in general from anyone who has spoken to them since. The house still feels empty, Gizmo’s chair still has his little cushion on it. We had Gizmo cremated and he rests in a little box with a photo of him on it. No words will ever come close to describing the heartache felt by my grandparents and my family because of what happened. Nobody should have to see their friend go like that and nobody should have to feel as much pain as they have felt.’
Symone’s friend Shauna set up a petition to get justice for Gizmo, which now has over 2200 signatures and counting.
‘So many people also asked me to set up a reward to encourage people to come forward.
‘I set up a gofundme page which has €320 altogether and a man from Wexford who had reached out to me as several people had asked him to pass donations on to myself, has also gathered €250 towards the reward.
Altogether there is €570 raised as a reward for information that will lead to the arrest of the vile individual who did this to our little Gizmo. We are still appealing for anyone who might know anything to come forward and contact New Ross Garda Station, who are also still actively investigating this as they too want to see justice for Gizmo.’