Several animals shot
Blaine, WA (US)Incident Date: Monday, Apr 30, 2007
County: Whatcom
Disposition: Open
Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!
Pet owners in the Birch Bay area have been on edge after reports of dogs and cats being shot in two different housing developments.
Security Specialists Plus has received four reports of pet shootings and recently learned of two additional incidents that had not been reported, security operations director Bob Gardner said. Altogether, four cats and two dogs were reported shot. All but one of the pets - a dog - survived.
The incidents began in May and have occurred sporadically since then, with the latest - a cat shot in the leg - occurring in November 2007. All six incidents happened in the Lincoln Green area near the corner of Lincoln and Harbor View roads or in the housing development northeast of Jackson and Bay roads, SSP animal control officer Wendy O'Kane said.
It's unclear if the same person is responsible for all of the shootings, but their proximity to each other has raised suspicions.
"We get the occasional dog that gets shot... or sometimes people with birdfeeders that assume it's better to shoot the cat than have it scare off the birds," said Chris Carlson, veterinarian at Blaine Animal Hospital. "But it's usually an isolated thing."
Gardner said the shooter appears to be using a pellet gun or perhaps a small, .22-caliber firearm.
O'Kane said she went door-to-door in July and again in October warning residents to be cautious when letting their pets outside and to report any suspicious activity.
Nancy Bartholomew had heard rumors of the animal shootings and rarely let her cat out of the house when she found a pool of blood on her back porch about six weeks ago. Callie-Lily, Bartholomew's 6-month-old calico, had been shot in the neck, with the bullet just missing the kitten's chin and vital organs.
Callie-Lily survived and is recovering, but Bartholomew said her neighbors weren't so lucky - they moved away after their dog died from a mysterious gunshot wound several months ago.
Bartholomew said she's been much more cautious since her cat was shot, as have most of her neighbors.
"(Callie-Lily) doesn't go out in the front yard," Bartholomew said. "The hard part is not knowing who is next."
SSP forwarded information on the case to the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday. Chief Criminal Deputy Jeff Parks said it's unclear who could be behind the shootings, but he pointed out that the killing of pets is often considered a "stage on a path towards much more serious criminal behavior."
Parks said owners should report any suspicious activity and not let their pets roam the neighborhood. References« WA State Animal Cruelty Map
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