When Chad Stricker, a US army veteran, checked his mailbox, he was shocked to find a typewritten note which informed him that his lost dog was dead. He had spent a week searching for his 10-month-old wolfhound, Nymeria. The anonymous note informed him that the dog was shot and killed while digging through someone’s garbage. The author of the note further stated that there is a county leash law and asked the veteran to follow it so that there are no more killings of his pets. The dog’s collar and tags were also enclosed in the mailbox.
“I felt extremely ill,” Sticker told the Biloxi Sun Herald. “To believe that someone murdered her while we were out searching for her, for going through the garbage … Is an animal worth less than your rubbish or a call?”
Although Mississippi law allows for shooting a trespassing unleashed animal on one’s property, Stricker and others contend that such a deadly response is disproportionate to the offense.
“We often witness this type of incident,” Elizabeth Treadaway, who serves as the director of a local animal shelter, informed the newspaper. “This innocent dog lost its life due to a boundary that it couldn’t see. The minute an animal enters someone else’s property, the leash law comes into force. But the fact that it’s the law doesn’t justify what this individual did.”
In the meantime, Sticker, who describes his deceased pet as “the gentlest dog,” is angry that one of his neighbors could have committed such a heartless betrayal. “It’s disheartening to know that a neighbor with your level of morality resides so close to me and could do something like this,” the heartbroken veteran posted on Facebook. “Do I despise you? No, I pity the person you are and those who have to deal with you.”
The veteran pleaded that the individual should show some humanity by returning Nymeria’s body or at least informing him of its location so that he could give his beloved pet a dignified burial. “I hope you feel proud of your actions as they show your true character,” the veteran sadly said. “I pray that one day you will realize the consequences of your actions and teach your family members to do better.” We fully endorse this sentiment!
Rewritten Source: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/neighbor-shoots-veterans-dog/