2 Dogs shot last night.

[cjones]

Looks like both are gonna make it but Belle may have some nerve damage.. Lucy gets to come home tommorow and Belle will be a few more days. The law isnt doing much because they cant prove the guy shot them.. This is a place where Stephen and i run almost everyday. The dogs just happened to follow the rabbit onto the neighbors property. Even though the law said criminal chrges could be brought against the guy he is denying shooting them. Thats about all i know and i will keep my opinion to myself so it cant be used against me later!

[yoteslayer]

Im sure you guys will work things out, I know I would. Ive had 2 beagles get shot, one of which was the best hound Ive ever owned. 2- .38 caliber slugs were in lodged in her hips and shattered some bones. The vet said she would never be able to walk right again, we put her down. I found the other dogs remains the following spring and there was what looked like a .22 hole in his collar. Its a sad day when things like this happen. A guy I used to run coyote hounds and a dog get shot, as he was tracking the signal he figured the dog was in a farm yard. he pulled in the yard and walked into the guys shed as he was smashing his tracking collar with a hammer. That guy payed him for the collar and $1200 for the dog, he also payed some civil penalties, and there was a few other charges that got dropped, maybe crulety to animals or something, i dont recall. The guy had started a fire in his burn barrel and had the dog laying next to the burn barrel. That case was cut and dried.

[Ky. Hunter]

Sorry to hear about the dogs. I hope Belle doesn't abort her pups because of this.

[Stevo]

Well guys thanks for all the concern. You just never know about people these days, but I am sure they will get what is coming to them.

This is how it went down. I rushed home from working 10 hours yesterday so I could go run my dogs, trying to get my female ran back up so I can hit some trials and try to champion her out. So I get home and I have been taking my 19 month old son out with me since the weather was nice. As soon as I walk through the door he say "Run rabbits with daddy." By the time we got ready we had bout and hour before dark so I had his mommy follow us out so she could take him back home if I decided to run after dark. Well we get out to the place that I have ran a ton of times. I turn the dogs out and get my boy out and just start walking the private road we was on. His mom/my wife shows up and we are having a good family time. What more could you ask for to have your little boy and your wife out running dogs with ya, thats the life. Well the dogs hit a rabbit on the property we have permission to run they circled it two or three times and then it broke off and went to the neighboring property. Well I thought ok, they have been over there before, no issues they will bring it back soon. Well they pounded that rabbit for about ten minutes back and forth. I got to talking and playin with my boy and lost track of the dogs. My fault if I would have been by myself I would have been right on top of them.My wife says to me they r getting pretty far away aren't they? And about two seconds later I hear two gun shots. I stayed calm and start to call them in and tone them. Nothing so I started to shock them, all the way up to level 6 and I heard nothing. I talk to call and finally I see a green tracker light coming across the hill, this was my older female. She came in all skittish until she recognized my voice and hen she came to me. She was shot up pretty bad, mostly in the face and head area. So I got her back to the truck and put her in the box. Had my wife take my boy and get in the car and wait for the sheriff.
In the mean time I went back over and started hollering for Belle, finally I had to shock her and I heard her yelp. She stayed in the same spot and wasn't moving so I new she must have been hurt pretty bad. I had to wait about 45 minutes for the sheriff to get there and I told him we didn't have time to talk I have to get to my dog. We walk in there and I find her and she can't move. She was looking at me like where have you been dad. So i grabbed her up and ran back to the truck. Sheriff got my info from my wife and I headed to the vet where is cost me $400 for the vet to come in and just look at them.
On my way back from the vet I called the sheriff and he said he went and talked to the two guys that where at the property and the both denied it and said they never even heard a shot. The sheriff said that he is positive they did it but there is no way to prove it. He took some shot gun shells from them for whatever reason and wants me to try and get any shot that is in the dogs so they can compare but I don't know how they can do that with buck shot. Anyway it was a very long night last night. What was a good family night turned into a nightmare.

I talked to the vet a little while ago and he said Lucy my older female will be fine and she can come home tomorrow. Belle has to stay a few more days. He says she can't keep her balance, he is hoping it will be short term and said it might be nerve damage or trauma from the shot.
I hope she pulls through, she is my best dog. Not a world beater but I have had her since a pup and she is the the first one I have trained every step of the way. I haven't been into beagles for very long maybe 3 or 4 years but I love it. But it is going to be hard for me to get motivated to do it anymore without Belle there with, so I hope she comes out of this quick and has me some bad to the bone Reggie pups. Thats right I and gettin on Reggies coat tail!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, thanks guys and I will keep you posted

[EMeade III]

Wow I hate to hear that steve. I would get my own pay back if the law doesn't. I judged belle multiple times she is a nice dog hope she pulls through and raises those pups for you.

[yoteslayer]

Thats a sad picture, hope she comes through for ya!!!

[bmills]

Hey Stevo, I am the one that bought Blue from you. I hate to hear about your dogs, and I really hope eveything turns out ok. I know you was looking foward to those Reggie pups.

[rabitruner]

Sorry man I just saw this hope Bell pulls through for you.

Andy Canterbury

[JCM]

I hope Belle is OK Steve. I know she is a nice dog and you have made her into what she is. Hopefully everything will work out for you.

[Bad Luck Kennels]

Man ole man. What a sad sad sorry. Hope all goes well Stevo. Don`t give up buddy. You got the man up stairs looking over you, your 19 month old boy, your wife, and your other kids.(dogs) Belle is going to pull though it brother. She will be down and out for alittle while then she will be back out there bringing you back some bunnys. May GOD be with you and your family. And may the be with those son of a bitchs shot them. I wish those guys that shot them burn in helll.

[ohlinger]

Really sorry to read about this. Hope your'e dogs pull through and all is well with them after some time to heal up. Only thing that can be said for the people who shot them is plain ole "trash". They will get what they've got coming sooner or later.

[lebro]

serve it cold brother you know this really pisses me off people like this need to learn they are not the bad asses they think they are, or they will just get worse and raise kids like them then what kind of a world would we be in. stick together like bikers heck yes. im there for you brother. holler if you need any thing.

[oef10]

Sorry to hear about this man.im sure you feel the same way but my dogs are part of the family. Couldn't imagine what I would do. Probably would land myself in jail. Hope your dogs pull through.

[Lucky Strike Kennel]

Stephen sorry to hear about belle and lucy

[warddog]

What a heart wrenching story especially when it came down in front of your little boy and wife. I'm praying that all will end well for you and yours. I applaud you in the manner you handled the situation especially beings your family was there as you sure kept a good sense about you. Did the ones that you thought shot the dogs live there or were they out in the field? Just curious as to why someone would walk from their house out there to shoot your dogs. Was there any livestock out there. I know there are some totally crazy people out there, especially tree huggers but this must have been folks that lived in the country. Around here that could have been a situation of stumbling onto a meth lab as you never know about that either. I'm just trying to understand what would be the thinking of anyone shooting a dog running game and harming nothing.