Pet Dog Survives Shooting At Booral

[Maxiewolf]

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2012/04/02/police-investigate-sog-shooting/

HERVEY Bay detectives are investigating what appears to be a premeditated shooting of a pet dog at Booral.

Pamela Agnew said neighbours found her neapolitan mastiff, Bridget, bleeding from the head shortly before 9am on Sunday.

Incredibly, the dog survived the gunshot wound and remained in the care of a local vet.

Ms Agnew said two days prior to the attack, she'd found an anonymous note in her mailbox issuing a warning to her family.

"If your dogs come into my garden for the third time, you will never see your dogs again," it said.

Ms Agnew, who with her partner and two young children only moved into their house six weeks ago, described the attack as "sick" and "cowardly".

"I think it's sick, really sick," Ms Agnew said.

"I can't do anything until we actually build a fence and the neighbours know that.

"I've tried chaining the dogs up but they just snap the chains.

"They're beautiful dogs, they wouldn't hurt anyone.

"I do understand that she shouldn't have been out in people's yards, but that doesn't give anybody the right to do what they've done."

Ms Agnew, an animal lover who has worked with local pet rescue organisations, said she now fears for her safety and that of her two kids, Morgan, four, and Gregor, two.

She is also concerned for the family's second dog, Bundy.

"It just makes you wonder what type of place you're living in.

"Every car that drives past I wonder if it's that person.

"To think they've actually been here to put something in my letterbox, they know where I live but I don't know who they are."

Hervey Bay vet Ron McKay yesterday said Bridget the dog was feeling "sore and sorry for herself" but was expected to make a full recovery.

"The bullet entered just below the right eye, went through her cheekbone and basically disintegrated in the jaw.

"It didn't exit the head and it didn't explode.

"We're not ballistics experts, but we presume it's been shot with a .22 calibre rifle."

Police are investigating the attack and ask anyone with information to call (07) 4123 8111 or 1800 333 000.

OK OK, a better containment solution needs to be found while the fences are being built. But it is NOT OKAY to use a GUN in a suburban area where there are children around to Solve your problems, clearly they where trying to kill the dog, Why Else would you shoot the dog in the head like that, poor dog must have gone up to the perpetrator in a friendly manor to get a shot like that IMO.

It should be looked upon no lighter than if this person had shot a human being.

[melzawelza]

The owner was irresponsible but that is no excuse to shoot a dog in the head on a suburban property! From the article it implies the dog was found at home, does that mean they came over to their address and shot the dog? Or the dog dragged itself home? Either way it's horrible.

[k9angel]

That's just so wrong. Why didn't the person who was so unhappy with this ladies dogs just call the council and report the dog(s)?

Seriously, How hard is it to pick up a phone?

Poor dog, not her fault if there are no fences.

[Marion 01]

Not exactly a friendly welcome to the neighbourhood, but by the same token, why would you not secure your dogs in a portable run or something like that, so that they couldn't be put in harms way. The trouble is, the neighbour who shot the dog is now going to have it in for the dog and the people, regardless.

[Diva]

It is a terrible thing to have happened and using a gun in a suburban area is very serious.

But nonetheless the owner's comments leave me gobsmacked.

Does she seriously believe she can let her dogs roam the neighbourhood at will while she gets fences organised? How about not moving the dogs in until there is proper containment in place? She has been unbelievably irresponsible and her dog has paid the price. And she claims to have worked with pet rescue, even more reason she should know better.

Edited April 3, 2012 by Diva

[Maxiewolf]

I thought the whole the dogs keep breaking the chain comment was a bit HUH? When I first moved into my new house I had my dobermann and no front fence, I had to improvise for a few days how hard is it to go to Bunnings get some heavy duty chain cut to size, good trojan hooks and make something that WON'T break not just shrug your shoulders and go oh well chains break Ill just wait to get the fences fixed?

(half my post got eaten by.. space and made no sense had to fix)

Edited April 3, 2012 by Maxiewolf

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

The stupidity of the owners leaves me breathless.

[Christina]

Poor dog but I have little sympathy for the owner. Her attitude is appalling.

That is also a huge dog to have wandering at large & people will be scared more than if it was a small dog.

If there are no fences the dogs should be put on a lead several times a day & taken out to go to the toilet. Obviously she can't be bothered. Chaining them with people around & no fences would be stupid too. It leaves the dogs at risk especially when she goes out.

She was warned so why did she let them out again knowing there was a gun happy person annoyed at the situation & put them in danger on purpose ?

The family & dogs sound like they will be a load of trouble for the area in years to come due to gross stupidity & lack of control.

I hope the council have a word with her because I think they will be wandering at large again soon.

[Whippetsmum]

Poor dog....

On Google Earth, Booral looks semi rural, lots of bush, could there have been an issue with stock, e.g. the dog may have been worrying horses etc?

Nasty business, but the owner seems a bit irresponsible. If they moved in 6 weeks ago, they've had 6 weeks minimum to figure out something to keep the dog contained, if they bought the house they had at least the settlement period to organise quotes for fencing, if they built they would have had longer still to sort it out. Presumably, the neighbours have had to put up with the dogs roaming for at least 6 weeks

When we moved house (only suburbia), the dogs had to stay in the garage as we assumed they could jump the fence which was only 1.2m, they only had supevised yard time for about 6 weeks- not at all ideal, but the alternative was missing dogs, or dogs hit by vehicles.

Edit for spelling

Edited April 4, 2012 by Whippetsmum

[Chris the Rebel Wolf]

We all know what can happen to roaming dogs... in this case it was one of the worst case scenarios.

Nobody has done right by these dogs, from their owners who have WILLINGLY allowed roaming to continue regardless of weather the chains were breaking - solutions have already been offered in this thread and it certainly wouldn't take me six weeks to get a fence together if my pets were in danger from roaming - to the moron who's shot the poor girl point blank. I certainly don't condone the shooting, but unfortunately if the dog came onto the shooter's property and especially if it was rural and there was stock involved, I don't think legally they're going to be in the wrong.

Get better soon Bridget and hopefully, there will be proper fences/enclosure up for you upon your return home to prevent these sorts of awful things happening.

[WeimMe]

I've had a dog when I had no fence for a few weeks (new house, unreliable fencing contractors, puppy I'd been waiting for ready to go...). It was not ideal or convenient but we managed - the dog stayed inside, or was with me on the lead until the fence was built.

The owner absolutely should not have let her dogs wander but all the same, I'm aghast that someone was violent and cruel enough to consider shooting the dog to be a reasonable course of action. I think I'd be wanting to move, ASAP if I were her as I could not stand to live there knowing that one of my neighbours was capable of this.

[GeckoTree]

Shot dog on the road to recovery

Kristy Martin | 3rd April 2012 5:29 PM

• 

Tags:

bridget the dog, shooting

Booral’s Morgan and Gregor Agnew with their beloved dogs Bundy and Bridget.



Related links

• Police investigate dog shooting

BRIDGET the dog is back at home and on the road to recovery after being shot in the head at Booral on Sunday.

The neapolitan mastiff may have been shot with a .22 rifle by a disgruntled neighbour after she wandered into their yard.

Bridget's owner Pamela Agnew said she'd noticed a change in the dog's behaviour after bringing her home from the vet today.

"She's a little bit different from what she was," Ms Agnew said.

"She's a little bit more shy than she usually is. But she's doing really well."

Ms Agnew said she received a threatening letter in her mailbox two days before Bridget was found on the roadside injured and bleeding from the head.

The anonymous note said: "If your dogs come into my garden for the third time, you will never see your dogs again."

Ms Agnew said she spent Monday doorknocking around her neighbourhood to see if anybody heard gunshots before 9am on Sunday.

"I have my suspicions about who it might have been now, so I'll be taking it to the police," she said.

Hervey Bay detectives are investigating the shooting and ask anyone with information to call (07) 4123 8111 or 1800 333 000.

[Nekhbet]

the .22 was a warning shot. It never would have killed a dog of that size.

If the dogs were not wandering out of their owners supervision there would be no problems. Who knows what the dogs got up to in the neighbours gardens, wouldn't be the first person crying their dogs are so well behaved at home while rampaging the suburbs/farms

[KOE]

whoever did it is in their right, my son just got new neighbours with no fence ,

big boofy dogs with wide powerful jaws, now his dog who was behind a fence has his ear canal ripped out his bottom jaw broken and a huge vet bill.

The owner of the other dogs said stiff not paying the bill

No fence No dog easy there are plenty of kennels around to put them in.

We are in the state we are with dogs and the ever tightening laws because of people like this who let their dogs do what ever.