Police in Windsor, Ont., have located the owner of a dog that was sexually abused and had to be euthanized.

A young, male Labrador in Windsor, Ont., was sedated to be treated for abuse. Humane society veterinarians later had to euthanize the animal. (Windsor-Essex County Humane Society)

The owner has not been named, and police have not indicated if any charges will be laid or against whom.

Public outrage has grown in the community since a young, male black Labrador was found near an elementary school on Monday suffering from serious injuries to his genital area.

Investigators say a condom and a bicycle inner tube were used in the torture; police examined them for fingerprints.

The Windsor-Essex County Humane Society took the dog in, but had to euthanize him.

'You need to catch this individual as soon as possible. They obviously need help.'—Nancy McCabe, humane society

"Someone that could do this, I can't even comprehend it. I don't even know how someone would think of this," said Nancy McCabe, field operations manager.

"It just seemed like the dog was such a trusting puppy-like dog. It really hurt everyone at the shelter to have to euthanize the dog."

McCabe said the abuse is one of the worst cases she has seen in 30 years.

"I would assume it was someone's pet ... the coat was bright and shiny, and the dog appeared to be very well cared for.

Humane society officials said the young lab had a clean coat, was otherwise healthy and appeared to have been someone's pet. (Windsor-Essex County Humane Society)Police believe the crime was probably committed on Sunday and by Wednesday they had received about a dozen leads in the case.

Authorities want to catch the abuser quickly to prevent an escalation of violence.

"It's always a concern when they start with animals that this could graduate to people," said McCabe.

"You need to catch this individual as soon as possible. They obviously need help."

Public outrage

Meanwhile, the humane society's executive director says her phone has been ringing off the hook since the case became public on Tuesday.

"Most of the calls we're getting are actually from people who don't have any information, but are just needing to talk and express their outrage about it," said Melanie Coulter.

"We certainly understand that sentiment. We're obviously outraged about this crime as well and want to see the person brought to justice."

Outrage in the community found a home on the internet Wednesday, as Facebook users formed a group in support of police efforts to find the abuser.

Within hours there were 1,330 group members with some posts offering money to establish a reward for tips leading to an arrest.

Members of the group "Windsor dog abuser sought" also linked to a petition calling for stiffer animal cruelty laws.