An 11-month-old Siberian husky tied to railroad tracks near Lake McConaughy died after being hit by a train.
The owner of the dog, area residents and local officials are looking for the person, or people, who left Kobe to die on the tracks.
“He was really playful, really friendly,” Randee Romine, Kobe’s owner, said of the dog. “He was so hyper, he just loved to play.”
Lake McConaughy is about 225 miles northeast of Denver, and the area is a popular getaway for Front Range residents.
The husky was killed over the Memorial Day Weekend and Romine contacted The Post, hoping that someone from Colorado who spent the holiday weekend there, may have seen something that could lead to a suspect.
Kobe was tethered outside his home last Thursday night when he broke free and disappeared.
Romine, family and friends put up missing posters in the area of the North Shore Lodge on Friday morning.
“He was a pretty dog, with blue eyes,” Romine said. “We just honestly thought that someone found him and snapped him up. We never thought someone would tie him up like that.”
On Saturday morning Romine was contacted by the Keith County Sheriff’s Office who told her Kobe had been found dead.
The dog was tied to railroad tracks between the Sandy Beach and North Shore access roads to the lake.
Whoever left him there used what was left of the same lead that Kobe snapped when he broke free.
“It was knotted to the railroad track — someone intentionally did it,” Romine said. “They used the same leash.”
Keith County Crimestoppers will pay a cash reward of up to $1,000.00 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible.
Anyone with information can call (308) 284-4600 or visit to submit tips online. Tipsters can remain anonymous. Romine and her family are offering a $500 reward as well.
Thousands of Coloradans stream to McConaughy for weekend getaways, and Nebraska officials estimate holiday visitors over the weekend at 13,000 daily.
Romine, who lives and works in the area, said many North Shore visitors are people from Denver and the Front Range.
She added: “We’re trying to get the word out so hopefully somebody comes forward, or someone has some information.”
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
