Horrified officers made the gruesome find on county property in Saginaw, Michigan.
A severed dog's penis and testicles has been found tied to a thin rope near the back of an animal care centre in the US.
According to Animal Control Director Kevin Wilken, horrified officers made the gruesome find on county property in Saginaw, Michigan.
"We knew it was obviously some sort of animal parts," he said.
Initially, Wilken said he thought it might be a dog's paw, but said one of his employees later identified the item as dog genitals.
He said it is not clear whether the genitals came from a live or dead dog, though Wilken said they likely came from a dead dog due to a lack of blood.
TOP STORIES OF THE DAY
Wilken said he reported the incident to the Saginaw Police Department. He doesn't know who may have left the animal parts there or why.
"Halloween is coming up and there are some groups that will sacrifice animals in the weeks leading up to the end of October," he said.
"Possibly it was someone trying to make some sort of statement. Maybe it's somebody that thinks this is funny. I'm not really sure what it is."
Wilken said he plans to retain the remains a week or two as potential evidence before disposing of it.