Dog shot with BB gun
Mount Pleasant, PA (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Dec 31, 2005
County: Westmoreland
Disposition: Open
Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
A local family is offering a reward after its dog was shot with a BB gun. "Levi" the Labrador was found shot on January 1, 2006 in Fayette County. He suffered a collapsed lung and internal bleeding. Mount Pleasant veterinarians say there are four BBs resting on his spine which will cause eventual paralysis.
The dog's owner said the ordeal is difficult to deal with, and difficult to explain to her 6-year-old daughter. Cindy Hamborsky said, "It's inhumane. It's just beyond my imagination how someone can do something like this."
The family is not disclosing the exact amount of the reward, but says it is a generous one. If you have information on this case, please contact:
Trooper Robert McGraw
724-439-7111
Case UpdatesIt was estimated that Levi bled for nearly 30 minutes before he was found. Buck Hamborsky, Cindy's husband, and their 16-year-old daughter, Kylie, administered first aid. "He almost bled out," O'Laughlin said.
The 4-year-old Lab arrived at the clinic in shock, bleeding from a severed vein in his chest. He also suffered a collapsed right lung, severe trauma to his throat and damage to his eyes. Pellets from the shotgun blast remain embedded throughout the dog's body, from his face to his rear legs. Surgery to remove the pellets would likely cause more damage than leaving them there, O'Laughlin said, so most will remain. Levi spent New Year's Eve with O'Laughlin at his home. The doctor's staff had the day off to celebrate the new year, so O'Laughlin canceled his plans in order to keep Levi under close observation. The dog hs since returned home.
With the traumatic experience behind them, the Hamborskys are now looking for answers. The family offered a cash reward for information leading to the conviction of the attacker just days following the shooting. And after accounts of the crime were published and broadcast by local news media, Cindy Hamborsky said, strangers from throughout Western Pennsylvania donated to the fund. She will not release the amount, but said the reward is "very generous." "There has been an outpouring of support from the community," Cindy Hamborsky said. "We have received checks from people we don't even know." The Hamborskys want to see anyone convicted in the shooting get sentenced to the fullest extent of the law. But that outcome rarely -- if ever -- happens in such cases.
"Animals are considered personal property under the law," said Robin Moore, a 12-year veteran of investigating animal cruelty in Fayette County. "The mentality is that you can go get another cat or dog or horse -- that it's no big deal."
Although O'Laughlin remains doubtful the Hamborsky family will receive justice, he is optimistic about Levi's recovery. "Levi is doing super," he said. "I'm really happy with him. His temperature has kept down, and he's off the morphine and muscle relaxers. We have him just on antibiotics to cover our bases." The cost of Levi's recovery is between $1,200 and $1,500. The Hamborsky family will seek restitution upon conviction. | Source: The Daily Courier - January 16, 2006
Update posted on Jan 16, 2006 - 7:47PM |
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