CLINIC SEARCH ANGERS VET WHO TREATED PUG.

Byline: Stacy Finz Daily News Staff Writer

As the mystery over whether Pal the pug was mutilated by a hungry coyote or skinned alive by a deranged human simmers, controversy over the dog's death is at its boiling point.

Veterinarian Melvyn Richkind said he is furious that the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services unsuccessfully searched his Northridge clinic Friday to find Pal's post-injury file.

``This was a violation of my civil rights, and it's really getting to me,'' Richkind said from his Santa Fe, N.M., home Sunday. ``They tore the place apart and made a mess of the clinic.''

Richkind first treated the pug April 7, when its elderly owner found it skinned and alive, but in shock, under a bush near her Encino home.

But the dog died, and Richkind determined that it was at the hands of a person with a knife.

Officials at animal services could not be reached for comment Sunday. But they have maintained all along that Pal was ravaged by a coyote.

Three other veterinarians have examined the pug and insist Pal was attacked by human beings.

On Friday, animal services investigators searched the Pet Family Planning clinic but were unable to find Pal's file, according to Richkind. He said he would not turn the paperwork over to the city agency and declined to disclose the location of the file.

``They have to have suspicion of a crime to serve a search warrant,'' Richkind said. ``The only way I'll talk to them is in court.''

Richkind said what disturbs him is the fact that animal services continues to believe that a coyote killed Pal.

``When a coyote attacks its prey for food it doesn't just collect its pelt,'' he said. ``There is very little left when a coyote is done. No coyote did this. It's impossible. You don't have to have a doctor's degree to see that this was done with a knife.''

But officials from animal services said they based their findings on a necropsy of the dead dog conducted by the city's chief veterinarian and a consulting private veterinarian. Their examination revealed puncture wounds, skin tears and other injuries consistent with those usually inflicted by coyotes, according to Peter Persic, spokesman for the agency.

The dog lived in an area adjacent to the Santa Monica Mountains and the Encino Reservoir, which is a habitat for coyotes, Persic has said.

``Coyotes are opportunistic hunters,'' wrote animal service General Manager Gary S. Olsen in a press release. ``While they may be frightened by humans, these wild animals will prey on small domestic animals. That's why it's especially important for pet owners to keep their pets indoors at night in areas where coyotes may roam.''