ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Stink, a 16-year-old Chihuahua, went everywhere with Rick Parmenter.
- Family dog found dead Monday morning in a burn pile
- Owners heartbroken over 16-year-old Chihuahua's death
- Orange County deputies have opened animal-cruelty case
"When she’d go to work with me, people knew her at the jobs," Parmenter said Wednesday.
He even shared how Stink got her name.
"It used to be Sneak. When she was young and my grandson had her, she’d 'sneak' her tongue right down your mouth, every time — and eventually, when she got older and wiry, it became Stink."
But now, those sweet memories are gone. After searching everywhere for her after she disappeared Saturday morning, his grandson, Donnie Fuson, made a gruesome discovery Monday morning: He found the dog dead, its body burned on a vacant lot down the street from the family’s home in the Orlo Vista community. They say there were beer bottles and cans also in the burn pile.
"I was bawling, crying," Parmenter said. "My throat’s scratchy from crying so hard. It’s just like (losing) your family member after those many years."
"I’m still trying to make it make sense it my mind but none of it really makes sense," Fuson said.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office has opened an animal-cruelty investigation, but at this point, it’s unclear who killed Stink. Neighbors said that deputies stopped here Tuesday to talk to them about the incident.
The family is now dealing with the reality that their time with Stink is over.
"It is a family member and she won’t come back," Parmenter said.
And they want the person who viciously took Stink's life to be held responsible.
"Justice – I want to find the person who did this," Fuson said.
"If anybody knows anything, please let authorities know right away," Parmenter said.