Letter: Why on earth did you shoot our dog?

Now that the tears have subsided, I am angry.

On April 2, our 12-year-old dog Max escaped our property on Finley Road between Bowles and Perkins; apparently frightened by some loud noise. He is a shy, gentle dog and if we are not here, Max panics and just starts to run.

We realized he was missing about 5:30 p.m. when we returned from a party. He has a collar and tags so that when he panics like this we are fairly confident he will make it home. Around 6:30, he did make it home; except this time he had been shot with a .22. Max made it to the emergency vet, but died on the table.

We have lived on this property for 37 years. Never occurred to us to shoot the strays that pass our way. Max lived with cattle, chickens, cats every day. We’re pretty dang sure he was not a livestock threat. We would so like to know why someone shot Max. A loud “get out of here” would have sent him packing.

What on earth were you thinking when you took a bead on Max and pulled that trigger? Our hearts are broken.

This story was originally published April 7, 2016 at 6:43 PM with the headline "Letter: Why on earth did you shoot our dog?."