Dead Animal Heads in Shawano

CREATED Apr. 19, 2012

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  • A Shawano woman said she found decomposing animal heads from a meat shop near her home this week. Video by nbc26.com

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SHAWANO, WI – A Shawano woman said she found decomposing animal heads from a meat shop near her home this week.

Catherine Dove said the steer heads come from Pingel's Old Time Sausage Shop, but the shop said they were just trying to help a customer.

"It's like something died in your backyard, and you just left it there,” said Dove.

She said she found the animals carcasses about 150 feet from her house.

"I looked closer and there were heads that were decomposing with the fur and the skin and everything still on and eyeballs still in, and it was rotting,” she said.

She adds this isn't the first time she's had a problem with Pingel's meat shop, and she’s taken her complaints to police last summer for odor as well.

 "The diseases and bacteria and who knows what’s on these things,” said Dove.

But the co-owner of Pingel's, Pete Krolow, said this is just an unhappy neighbor. He said the shop was saving the longhorns for a customer who wanted them back.

"We will continue to provide quality products and quality service to our customers,” said Krolow.

They say the heads were cleaned up and there will not be any future animal heads placed in their backyard.

"Let us do our business that we have properly done for years,” added the co-owner.

Shawano Police said there have been four complaints against Pingel’s in the last year. Capt. Jeff Heffernon said each time there's been a call; Pingel’s has cooperated and taken care of the problem.

"In all ordinance enforcement, there's a balancing act,” said Heffernon. “You know we try to balance the facts that we get through an investigation.”

And Dove said she feels better after the clean up.

 "As long as it's taken care of, it's over,” she said.

Police explain if there are future problems that move to citations, they will notify the Health Department.