Watch Tip for week of April 17:
Watch for people in your neighborhood who would do harm to pets. They might hate free-roaming cats and dogs in their yard or pets making noise at night when they are trying to sleep. In more rural areas, if they keep chickens or farm animals, they might shoot to kill because it is legal when livestock is threatened. Be protective—not everyone loves animals like we do!
Family dogs shot and their bodies dumped in a ditch
In a small midwestern town recently, two beloved family dogs were inadvertently let loose from their fenced yard by one of the children; the friendly, chubby, collared dogs wandered off and turned up at a rural homestead not far away. It appears they may have worried a flock of chickens but no chickens were actually harmed. Still, both dogs were shot to death and their bodies dumped near a river; the family and many in the town are grieving for them. The shooter has not been identified.
No animal lover would dream of killing pets without severe provocation. But this true story is important because it reminds us that there are people out there who will kill pets without good cause … lots of them.
In just one Wisconsin town, three stories:
A wandering dog was shot to death just one block away from his home as he was crossing an empty lot, I was told by his tearful owner, a woman who owns a pet store and has done much to help shelter dogs and cats in the region. The shooter was never identified.