Dog shot, resulting in death Lakeville, IN (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Dec 30, 2004 County: St Joseph
Disposition: Open
Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!
Dean and Lisa Dudeck's eight year old mixed breed dog, Buddy, was shot at close range with a .22-caliber weapon on Dec 30, 10 feet from the Dudecks' yard, along Shively Road about half a mile east of U.S. 31.
Buddy was known for his even temper and friendly nature, Dean Dudeck said. He slept with the family's cats, and had chased opossums and raccoons away from the hens the Dudecks once had.
A neighbor saw Buddy by the side of the road and told Dean. When Dean ran up to him, Buddy sat up but couldn't move any further. He had a deep bullet wound in his back.
Dean took Buddy to Parrett Veterinary Clinic in Plymouth, where the beloved pet died Thursday night. X-rays showed the bullet wound caused irreversible internal bleeding, Dean said.
The family made posters with pictures of Buddy and placed them at Lakeville businesses. They did so, Dean said, "so that if someone is going around bragging about killing a dog, someone could let us know."
The Dudecks also wanted their friends and neighbors to be aware that someone was out there so cruel that he or she could do that to a friendly dog.
Buddy is buried in the family's special place for pets. He was laid to rest with an acorn squash, a tennis ball and a stick.
"He loved to eat acorn squash," Dean explained, adding that the other items were favorite toys.
Dean's not sure if the shooting is related to other neighbors' reports of incidents involving animals. One neighbor told him, he said, that would-be hunters had become angry when the neighbor denied them rights to hunt on his property. A different neighbor had a dog shot on the west side of U.S. 31, he said. He also said another neighbor's cat was killed with a BB gun while another neighbor had a horse poisoned a little more than a year ago. References « More cases in St Joseph County, IN
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