A Colorado dog breeder was found murdered in his home. Police hope 10 missing puppies will lead them to killer

Paul Peavey had over 40 years of experience in dog breeding and would walk dogs for local rescue shelters.

Paul Peavey was found dead in his Colorado home last week – and a litter of puppies are now missing (Facebook)

Colorado police are searching for 10 missing Doberman puppies in an effort to track down their breeder’s killer.

Paul Peavey, a 57-year-old dog breeder, was found dead by friends at his Idaho Springs home on Saturday after the alarm was raised when he wasn’t seen or heard from since August 19.

His exact cause of death has not yet been disclosed, but a homicide investigation is underway.

The Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office said that as many as 10 European Doberman puppies had been taken from Peavey’s property, which also doubled as a dog breeding kennel.

Three adult dogs were left behind at the home, and are now at an animal shelter, according to The New York Post.

Authorities said that they could not yet confirm whether the potential value of the puppies was a motive for the murder.

However, investigators are hoping that tracking down the puppies will help lead them to the killer or killers.

The missing puppies are as young as four weeks old, with Peavey’s latest litter of puppies born in mid-July, the Post reported.

Authorities said that each of Peavey’s dogs were microchipped. Anyone who purchased a Doberman puppy in the central Colorado area within the last week is asked to check them for a microchip and contact the sheriff’s office.

Anyone who has made a purchase from Peavey’s breeding business since June is also asked to contact the sheriff’s office, regardless of whether or not they bought a puppy.

“This will help us determine exactly how many puppies are unaccounted for,” explained the sheriff’s office.

According to his website Elite European Dobermans, Peavey had over 40 years of experience in dog breeding and would walk dogs for local rescue shelters.

A photo posted to his Facebook page in 2019 shows him posing alongisde his own dog, Miley, who had just won best-of-breed at an event.

“His dogs were his life. He had been through some things in life, and the dogs were his therapy,” friend Brice Boynton told Denver7.

The Independent has contacted the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office for further details.

Anyone who has puchased a puppy in the central Colorado area in the past week or has other information about the case is asked to contact the sheriff’s office on 303-679-2393.