PROVO -- Animal lovers this week decried the second case in a month of slain dogs found in a remote area of south Utah County.

"(People) are very outraged," said Ruthanne Nielsen, a Provo resident working to find the killer of a female Labrador and three puppies.The dogs were found shot near Lincoln Beach on the south shore of Utah Lake Sunday. Four other puppies, with broken bones, knife wounds and bruises, were rescued and have been placed in either foster homes or a veterinary clinic. One puppy ran away from a Payson couple who gathered the others, and that dog has not been found.

By Tuesday morning, a reward for information leading to the dogs' assailant had been upped to $2,500 thanks to donations from animal advocates.

"It's pretty difficult to figure out who did it," said Utah County sheriff's deputy Robert Braden, who is investigating the crime. "Unless someone saw it, it's pretty hard to prove."

Nevertheless, Braden plans to conduct an extensive investigation in an attempt to determine the dogs' killer. This week's incident may be related to another case several weeks ago when three sheep dogs were found dead and hanging from a tree on West Mountain, he said.

"They were hung and they may have been shot," Braden said.

Utah County residents Kim Ferguson and Christine Johnson reported finding the Labradors Sunday afternoon. Those remaining alive were taken to a clinic at Orem's PetSmart store Monday, where they have been treated for injuries and are expected to return to normal health.

Nielsen, working with a group called Citizens Animal Management and Protection Society, is attempting to raise $1,000 to pay for the puppies' care. An account for donations has been set up at First Security Bank. The dogs are slated to be put up for adoption April 15 at PetSmart.

One of the puppies has internal bruises that affect her breathing, another had a five-inch knife wound on its hip and a third suffered a broken leg. The eight-week-old puppies were reportedly scared of humans when found.

"This is kind of rare," Nielsen said. "This is the first time I've heard of something this (terrible)."

Ferguson told Nielsen that he had been shooting at targets Saturday in the Lincoln Beach area. When he returned Sunday with Johnson, they discovered the dogs.

Braden praised the work of Nielsen and CAMPS.

"It's good they were there," he said. "If we had received them (at Utah County's animal shelter), we would have had to put them to sleep.

"We don't have the facilities to care for dogs that have been shot and beaten like that."

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Faced with the prospect of overcrowding and rising costs at the county-operated animal shelter in Provo, Utah County mayors this month voted to move forward with a plan to privatize shelter operations. Meanwhile, animal advocate Denise De Vynck, who founded the group Save A Dog, said incidents like the one Sunday emphasize the need for a low-cost program to spay and neuter pets.

"We have received calls like this for two years from concerned residents and teachers tired of hearing their students coming to school on Monday bragging how they and their fathers tortured animals over the weekend for kicks," De Vynck said.

Several animal advocates said they hope the case of the Labradors found this week and the sheep dogs killed earlier this year will spur action by residents and county officials against animal abuse. Residents who don't want to keep their animals have options other than dumping them off or slaying them, Nielsen said.

"I just feel bad because these puppies can't voice their opposition to this, so we have to do it for them," she said.

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