Vigil Being Held For ‘Puppy Doe’ In Quincy

Photo by Animal Rescue League of Massachusetts

UPDATE: According to an email sent to Boston, organizers are  moving the location of Saturday’s vigil for Puppy Doe. The vigil will be at 5 p.m. at Pageant Field on Merrymount Parkway. Organizers were asked by Mayor Thomas Koch and the Quincy Police Department to move the event because of the large number of people that plan on showing up.

EARLIER: In the wake of the death of “Puppy Doe,” a Pit Bull that was abused so badly it had to be euthanized, people from all over the state plan on gathering outside of Quincy City Hall to pay tribute to the pup.

A Facebook group, started by a Salem woman, called “Vigil For Puppy Doe,” is rallying people perturbed by the extent of abuse that the dog suffered after being stabbed, hit, and burned by an alleged suspect. According to the group’s event details, which were written in all capital letters:

This vigil is for Puppy Doe…who suffered horrible and unthinkable tortures at the hands of an unknown monster! People will be traveling near and far to help show that they won’t give up [on Puppy Doe]…This is time for us to come together and mourn her loss together, and demand justice!! It is time for change.

More than 1,200 people have vowed to show up for the vigil, which is being held outside of Quincy City Hall, on September 28, at 5 p.m. The Facebook group created an image of Puppy Doe, sitting next to a candle, for supporters to use as icons on their social media accounts.

Those planning to attend the candle-light event are urged to bring their own dogs to show support for Puppy Doe, and call for drastic changes to certain state laws, and rules regarding how canines are passed between owners through services like Craigslist.

“I can’t bare the thoughts of knowing what this precious baby went through. It has effected me in ways even I didn’t think possible,” one person wrote on the event’s page. “We failed to protect her know matter how we look at it.”

The death of Puppy Doe made national headlines, and led to people creating petitions and calling for legislative changes to animal abuse laws.

There has been wide speculation, based on a report from the Boston Herald, that Puppy Doe’s original owner gave the dog away through Craigslist, and the pup moved around quite a bit through various owners before being found in a park in Quincy, left for dead.

Quincy Police, however, are still investigating those claims, and while they believe it may be the same dog, those leading the case have not officially confirmed anything. The former owner said that she was forced to give up the dog because of breed-restrictions at her apartment. She said her landlord was afraid he would lose insurance based on the fact that Puppy Doe was a Pit Bull. To combat this type of behavior, legislation was recently filed, and backed by MSPCA-Angell, to try and bar landlords and homeowners from excluding certain dogs based on their breed.

A fundraiser was also started to help further the investigation. The Animal Rescue League of Boston is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Puppy Doe’s abuser. Misty’s Journey and Second Chance Rescue in New York City added an additional $10,000 in reward money over the weekend. Additional rewards have been offered as well, some as high as $2,000, from other animal rights organizations.

Several other Facebook groups were also created, once news surfaced about the dog’s death, to try and help find the alleged suspects. Puppy Doe has become the focus of intense investigation, even by the Norfolk District Attorney’s office.