Ore. Dogs Targeted by BB Shooter

April 3, 2008

NORTH ALBANY, Ore. -- In the last two months, two Oregon dogs have been shot with high powered air rifles, nearly killing one and injuring the other.

The first incident occurred in February. Monique Dyer said she first noticed something was wrong with her German short hair Koda when the dog was standing perfectly still in her North Albany back yard.

“I didn’t hear anything, but I looked outside to see Koda just standing in the backyard,” Dyer told The Democrat Herald. “That’s not like her. I called her and she wouldn’t move. We brought her inside and she wouldn’t sit or lie down.”

After a veterinary checkup and $3,600 in vet bills, it was determined that someone had shot the dog with a pellet. It ripped through her diaphragm, liver and gall bladder, finally settling near a rib.

“If we hadn’t been paying attention she would’ve died.” Dyer said.

The family is now offering a $1,500 reward for information leading to the shooter.

The second case occurred March 10th, in a North Albany neighborhood. This time, Katie Leventhal’s miniature Australian shepherd was targeted. Although she suffered a chest wound, Belle’s injuries were less severe than Koda’s -- but could have been much worse. A few pellets are still lodged in her shoulder.

“It missed all of her vital organs: heart, lungs, so we were lucky,” Leventhal said.

Belle was also shot while in her owner’s back yard. Leventhal said she believes the dog was shot through a hole in the fence that surrounds her property.

“If she’d been hit closer to her heart or throat, she would have died,” she said.

Both women are determined to find out who injured their animal companions.

“For all I know, the next time it could be a child,” Dyer said.

“I want to know who did this,” said Leventhal. “I think it’s really important for our neighborhood, for our neighbors to know.”

Authorities are still investigating both incidents. Anyone with information is asked to call the Albany, Ore. Police Department at 541-917-7680.

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Matt Van Hoven, Pet Pulse, and Cathy Ingalls, The Democrat Herald, contributed to this story.