KATV Channel 7 - The Spirit of Arkansas: Burglarized homeowner blames suspects for pet's death

A Van Buren County woman finds her home broken into and her dog missing, only to be later found dead.

Nina Hayes believes someone broke into her Bee Branch home during the night Wednesday. In addition to stealing some of her electronics, her six-month-old purebred golden retriever was gone, along with her collar, leash and pedigree paperwork.

"You can tell that she was a pure breed plus her pedigree was on the wall," said Hayes. "Now it has to be somebody that knows something about dogs." She thinks the burglar may have stolen Belle for breeding.

After posting flyers, Hayes received a phone call from someone who had found Belle lying on the side of the road, dead. "Either way, if she got away on her own or they turned her loose, they killed my dog. They did it," said Hayes.

Hayes is offering a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. However, she points out, "Of course you can't put a price on what she meant to me."

"It's hard because I know people think well, it was just a dog, but dog people - to them that's more than just a dog to them. She's my life."