Dog shot 40 times with BB gun
Quispamsis, NB (CA)Incident Date: Thursday, Nov 12, 2009
Disposition: Open
Case Images: 1 files available
Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!
Maggie, a fluffy old English sheep dog with a gentle demeanor, was shot more than 40 times at close range with a BB gun, her owner says.
Al McAlpine, of Quispamsis, said he realized his dog had been shot last Thursday when he found more than 40 plastic pellets scattered in his driveway, and noticed a swell on Maggie's neck the size of a fist and blood dripping from her ear.
"Her face is all fur and when people see her they just smile," McAlpine said. "The (shooters) had to be within a foot of her to inflict the damage they did, and when you think about 40 shots being fired into her you realize that is pretty sick."
McAlpine and his wife Bev said they bought Maggie 11 years ago when they first moved into their Queensbury Drive home. They said Maggie is a neighbourhood dog and many of the young people on their street feel like they grew up with the fluffy animal as a companion.
When McAlpine spotted the blood on Maggie's ear, he immediately took her to the Atlantic Veterinary Hospital where she was treated by Michael Blaney for the three puncture wounds on her ear.
Blaney said the puncture wounds are deep and if they were caused by a pellet or BB gun he thinks the dog would have been shot at close range. McAlpine said based on the wounds, he suspects Maggie was continuously shot.
Blaney cleaned the infected wounds and prescribed Maggie an anti-biotic, but if the infection does not clear he will have to surgically fix the problem.
"It's a painful kind of wound. It's not going to be a quick and easy fix," Blaney said. "It's horrible. Why would someone want to cause an animal pain? Where is the fun in that?"
McAlpine said he was surprised by the blood that came from Maggie's ear when the fur was shaved and he could clearly see the gun shot wounds. Maggie got quite upset at the animal hospital, so he put her in the car right away and then went back in to pay.
"By the time I got out to the car it was like a CSI crime scene with blood splatter everywhere. She had shaken her head, it was a disaster," McAlpine said.
Al and Bev McAlpine said Maggie is starting to come around, but for awhile they weren't sure if she would ever be the same.
They said the attack was a shock to her old system. Initially, she laid in one spot and could not walk or eat.
When Al McAlpine realized that his dog had been shot, he followed the lime green pellets down his driveway, down the road and into a neighbour's yard.
Then he phoned the police.
Deputy chief Steve Palmer, with the Rothesay Regional Police Force, said authorities are continuing to interview witnesses.
At the McAlpine house the phone has been ringing off the hook.
Bev McAlpine said people in the community are outraged and saddened that someone would shoot such a kind dog.
Al McAlpine said he's had several people break down and cry on the phone when they find out what happened. Several mothers have told the family they are afraid to tell their children what happened to their friend Maggie.
Their daughter, Hannah, 7, could only say she was sad before she began crying and cuddled into her mother's lap for comfort.
Outside on the porch overlooking a quiet suburban street, Maggie lounged on a big white pillow, her bloody ear covering her face. She did not move or make a peep as people walked past her.
Bev McAlpine said because the incident happened in her yard while the family was inside she now worries about Maggie whenever she is out on the porch.
She said she thought about warning her neighbours about what happened so they could be extra careful with their pets. References
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