Dog Shot In Neighborhood, Family Speaks Out
Read more: Local, Crime, Community, News, Dog Shot, Animal Cruelty
TRAVERSE CITY -- A Traverse City family is warning neighbors – someone shot their dog. The animal survived, but not without expensive surgery.
17-year old Ashlen Greenland is one of Shadow’s owners. She says “He means the world to me I don't know what I would do if I lost him."
It happened on Beverly Drive, just blocks away from Silver Lake Elementary School. Shadow bolted out of the house when Ashlen’s sister opened the door. His owners figured he’d come running back like he always does, but it didn’t happen. Almost an hour later, the family found him lying on the driveway.
Ashlen’s mom, Glynis Waycaster says "We couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. At first we thought he was hit by a car. He was standing on all fours but you could tell he was totally glazed."
They took the dog to the vet who found a bullet lodged in his abdomen; it perforated his bowel. It cost $2000 to save Shadow’s life. Now that their pet is recovering, the family is passing out fliers to neighbors so that they’re aware of the shooting.
Waycaster says "In a residential, small community, people do have pets. This is a family neighborhood. There are children. No one should be shooting any kind of weapon."
Michigan State Police are investigating this case. They say shooting a dog in a neighborhood could land a person two misdemeanor charges: animal cruelty and unsafe discharge of a firearm. Police say you must be 450 feet away from a residence to shoot a gun.
Waycaster says "We don't intentionally let our dog run around; people in the neighborhood do not do that. We all know if we see a dog wondering it is someone's pet, so someone took it upon themselves to harm him.”
