Girl finds pet dog’s head in gift-wrapped box

A 17-YEAR-OLD US girl who spent weeks looking for her missing dog was horrified when she unwrapped a box left on her doorstep and found the animal’s severed head inside.

Minnesota homicide investigators were looking into the case because of the “implied” terror threat, said police Sergeant Jim Gray.

The Humane Society of the United States said it was offering a reward.

“This was extraordinarily heinous,” said Dale Bartlett, the society’s deputy manager for animal cruelty issues.

“That level of depravity is beyond belief.”

Crystal Brown’s four-year-old Australian shepherd wandered away last month. Two weeks ago, a gift-wrapped box was left at the house Crystal shares with her grandmother. The box had batteries on top, and a note that said: “Congratulations Crystal. This side up. Batteries included.”

Crystal opened the box and found her dog’s head inside. The box also contained Valentine’s Day sweets.