A regular morning routine ended tragically for one of Tina Miles four-legged friends.
“Like usual, we got up in the morning and let the dogs out to do their business. We live right beside a hay field but the dogs generally never stray too far,” said Miles about her pets Nikko, Blu and Levy.
But what was unusual about their routine on Aug. 25 was that one of the three dogs didn’t return for breakfast with the pack.
“I called and rang his bell. He came home two hours later just before noon. I heard him whining so I went straight to him. He was bleeding,” said Miles, who lives with her family east of Crossfield at Highway 574 and Township Road 285.
Miles and her husband Cole found a wound on Levy – a three-and-a-half-year-old border collie/blue healer cross – and realized the situation was dire when they found a hole but no exit wound.
Miles and her 12-year-old daughter Kayla took the dog to the closest emergency vet clinic in Calgary.
“On the way there, he screamed and howled in horrifying pain and we had to pull over and console him on the highway. By the time we got (to the clinic), Levy had lost so much blood.”
Miles said it was a difficult decision but they decided to have the dog put down.
“Surgery would’ve cost up to $2,000, but the vet said his heart rate was so high that he could’ve gone into cardiac arrest at any minute. If they started the surgery, they would have had to follow through and there was a really high chance he wasn’t going to make it still.”
Miles said veterinary tests later confirmed a small-calibre bullet – likely a 22.3 - was found in the dog’s stomach that caused “intense internal damage.”
Beiseker RCMP Constable Larry Firmstone, who is handling the case, said bullets of this size can travel up to two kilometres.
“There’s always a chance this was a rogue bullet and that somebody was out shooting gophers and that the dog was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or there’s the possibility that somebody did indeed intentionally shoot the dog.”
He added that RCMP are boosting their patrols in the area and are talking to local residents to find more information.
“Farmers do have the authority to shoot rodents or animals if it is deemed and they can prove that they are threatening their livestock. But someone who was purposely causing harm to the animal would be found and could be charged under the criminal code for putting an animal in distress,” he added.
The mother of four said not only does she want to make people aware by sharing her story because her pet “suffered unnecessarily,” but also because she is concerned for her children’s safety who play in the yard around their home.
“We truly don’t want to believe he was intentionally shot, however, it doesn’t look good. We have no livestock nearby that he would have been trying to chase,” she said, adding the dogs never go more than 100 metres from the house.
“If kids are out shooting gophers and possibly not supervised, I would like to urge parents to do so … Our kids generally stay within our property line, but if that bullet could travel that far, there’s a chance it could’ve hit one of the kids,” she said.
“On the other hand, if there is a sicko out there shooting innocent animals, we need to have them caught and reprimanded accordingly.”
“If it was intentional, the chances of finding out who did it are very slim. Our family is devastated. Levy suffered so badly that it’s just not fair whatever the cause was.”
If you have any information on this incidient contact Besiker RCMP at 403-947-3420.
