CHARDON, Ohio — The Geauga County Dog Warden is asking for the public's help finding the person who shot a dog with a shotgun over the weekend after the animal was found pierced with dozens of pellets.
"The way people are acting nowadays towards some of these animals is just disgusting," Dog Warden Matt Granito said.
Granito told 3News the woman who brought the dog in had seen him wandering their neighborhood for two weeks, but she was never able to get close enough to catch him. Then, on Saturday, she found him covered in blood.
"It's shot in the back end, so whoever shot it, obviously the dog wasn't coming towards him or feeling a threat," Granito added. "So, this is why we're worried about why this dog was shot — was it doing something wrong or was it just someone who maliciously tried to hurt this dog?
"It's just such a sweet dog. I couldn't believe that someone would have to shoot the dog because it had any aggressive tendencies or anything."
Granito says they took the dog to the vet, and X-rays confirmed he had been shot with a shotgun, with around 70 pellets inside his body.
"There's so many, they can't get them out, so at this point they're just going to stay in there," Granito said. "The veterinary believes he can make a full recovery, but lead poisoning is obviously a serious issue."
At least one pellet surfaced on the dog's skin Wednesday but others pierced his lungs, causing liquid to get inside. Granito says lead poisoning is lethal and remains a big concern.
The staff at the shelter have since named the dog Skittles. They don't believe he has an owner, but he is in good health apart from the recent injuries. He is staying at a foster home while they monitor his condition, and if all is well and the vet signs off, he could be available for adoption by next week.
"It's horrible," Granito remarked. "People nowadays, after COVID, we've been seeing more and more and an increase of just neglect and abuse of animals."
Granito says if the person responsible did it maliciously without a reason to protect themselves or livestock, they could face a felony charge for animal abuse under Goddard's Law. If you have any information on this case, you can contact the Geauga County Dog Warden at (440) 279-2181.