Dog shot in chest and legs
Mapleville, RI (US)Incident Date: Monday, Dec 2, 2002
County: Providence
Disposition: Open
Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!
The Riendeau family dog, Buddy, who was shot after escaping from their Mapleville home on the evening of Dec 2 is in stable condition in the intensive care unit at the animal hospital for the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine in Grafton, Mass.
Tufts spokeswoman Barbara R. Donato confirmed yesterday that the 2-year-old black Labrador retriever was shot in the chest and back legs. One leg is broken and has been set to hold it in place while it heals, Donato said. Because of the dog's bone injuries, there's always concern about a bone infection, but his long-term prognosis looks good, Donato said.
Burrillville police and animal control officer Ronald J. Woods are continuing their investigation into the shooting and are interviewing people in the neighborhood, Lt. Kevin S. San Antonio said.
San Antonio said the shooting may have been a hunting accident or a malicious attack on the dog.
"At this point, it could have been anything," he said yesterday. "We don't know at this point."
Buddy escaped from the back door of the family home, at 577 Victory Highway, at about 5:50 p.m. Monday, Lisa Riendeau said. After she and her husband, Herve Riendeau, and their 9-year-old daughter, Kelli, combed the neighborhood for the dog, they found him in their backyard at about 6:20 p.m., Lisa Riendeau said.
He was lying near the basement door, bleeding, and the family's first thought was that he had been hit by a car.
But after a veterinarian at Bellingham Veterinary Clinic in Bellingham, Mass., stopped the bleeding, they told the family Buddy needed more attention, Riendeau said. So they took him to the Tufts facility, only to discover after more treatment that he had been shot.
"I don't believe it was a hunting accident," Lisa Riendeau said.
The incident happened so quickly -- within a half-hour of Buddy's escape -- that he couldn't have gone far, and there are quite a few homes and Route 102 nearby, she said. Plus, it was already dark.
Defenders of Animals, a private organization, has offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to a conviction of the person responsible for shooting Buddy.
The organization's director, Dennis Tabella, said volunteers plan to send out about 100 mailings with the reward information to Burrillville residents who live near the Riendeau home. They're encouraging people to call the Burrillville police or Defenders of Animals at 738-3710. If you have information on this case, please contact:
Defenders of Animals
02839
738-3710
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