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Fate of dog that was shot still undecided
By Jeanne Starmack
BROOKFIELD
A dog that was shot in the face with a shotgun two weeks ago still is at the Animal Welfare League of Trumbull County while its fate is being decided.
It may be impossible to determine who shot the dog, Brookfield Police Chief Dan Faustino said Thursday.
The American bulldog was found injured the afternoon of April 10 on the porch of a Brookfield Avenue woman who had been caring for it.
Brookfield Police and then the AWL responded, and the woman told the AWL responder she didn’t know who owned the dog, said Trumbull County humane agent Ken Herlinger.
For the next three days, the AWL searched for the dog’s owner and sent it to a local veterinarian for surgery.
Brookfield Police reserve officer Joe Lavaglio found out April 14 that the AWL wanted the information, and he called to let the organization know the woman had been caring for the dog.
She had told Lavaglio she’d had the dog since January, looking after it for a friend who was in an apartment, Faustino said.
Faustino is investigating why the woman told the AWL responder she didn’t know who owned the dog, he said.
Photo
An American bulldog that was shot in Brookfield Township sometime over the weekend undergoes surgery at a local veterinarian’s. The dog suffered gunshot pellet wounds to its face, but was recovering fine after Wednesday’s surgery. Police and a county humane agent are investigating.
The dog, a 3- to 4-year-old male, is recovering well from surgery, said Herlinger, who works through the AWL.
The dog was shot sometime while it was gone overnight between April 9 and 10, he said.
The dog had killed the woman’s pug, then it got loose and was gone all night, Herlinger said.
Herlinger said the woman always tried to keep the dogs separated, but they accidentally got together.
Herlinger said the area where the dog ran away is heavily wooded, then there is a residential area.
He said one neighbor reported hearing gunshots that night.
Herlinger said the dog’s original owner is trying to make arrangements with a relative to care for the dog. He said the dog likely would not be available for adoption because under Ohio law, it will be classified as vicious for killing the pug. He said it’s possible an American bulldog rescue group might take an interest in it.
The AWL is accepting donations for the dog’s vet care. Call 330-394-3512.