Dog breeder killed; authorities search for up to 10 Doberman puppies

IDAHO SPRINGS, Colorado — Authorities were investigating the murder of a Colorado dog breeder on Tuesday and trying to locate 10 missing Doberman puppies from his business.

Investigators have not yet determined a motive in the murder of Paul Peavey, 57, last week, but finding the missing puppies could help solve his killing, the The Clear Creek Sheriff’s Office said An update on the investigation was posted on Facebook on Monday.

No arrests had been made as of Tuesday and no missing puppies had been found, according to sheriff’s spokeswoman Jenny Fulton.

Peavey was last heard from on Aug. 19 and his body was found Saturday by a privately organized search party, the sheriff’s office said. It did not say where Peavey’s body was found or how he was killed.

Peavey’s dog breeding operation in the Idaho Springs area, in the mountains about 34 miles (55 kilometers) west of Denver, promised to provide “quality over quantity” and offered to provide buyers with 7-month-old Doberman puppies that had already been trained. His last litter of puppies was born in mid-July, according to his website, so the missing puppies could be younger than 7 months.

The missing puppies have microchips linking them to Peavey’s business, the sheriff’s office said. Investigators believe they may have been sold on social media or elsewhere since Aug. 20 and encourage anyone who purchased a Doberman puppy in central Colorado in the past week to contact the sheriff’s office.

Anyone who has purchased a puppy from Elite European Dobermans since June was also asked to contact the sheriff’s office to help determine exactly how many puppies are missing.