Dog shooting in Namaka

By Miriam Ostermann, Associate Editor

A Namaka family is mourning the death of their beloved Boxer, Eire, who was euthanized following a gunshot wound to the head – an incident that’s left the family with unanswered questions and concern for the safety of their community.
Jerry Malone and his wife Sheila Morgan had just returned from France two weeks ago, when their eight-year-old Boxer continued to show signs of pain sustained from what they believed was a fight days earlier – out of character for the animal who was known in the neighbourhood for her gentle manner, calm demeanour and approachable temperament.
After three trips to the veterinary clinic, an X-ray revealed the dog had been shot in the head which dislocated and fractured her jaw and left bullet fragments in her head, throat and mouth. The family was faced with three options: cut out her jaw joint to try to recover all the bullet fragments; graft a plate onto her jaw to extract the bullet fragments; or euthanasia.
After much consideration, the family unanimously made the difficult decision to end their dog’s suffering last weekend.
“We always said she’s really a perfect dog because Boxers don’t look that friendly, they can look like they’re guarding or fierce, but she’d show you where the silverware was; everybody knew her on this corner, she was so sweet,” said Morgan.
“In my 60 years, she was the best-tempered dog I’ve ever been around. I hope that everyone understands the seriousness of it; not just about our own personal loss but really about what a threat that is to a community. For anybody who has kids or grandkids – or dogs obviously – it’s scary.”
According to the couple, Eire was trained as a puppy to stay on the family’s property and that of their daughter’s neighbouring home. Since her training they have only known her to leave the premises once, four years ago. Sometime on Nov. 6 between 7:55 a.m., when their daughter let Eire outside, and 9:35 a.m. when the cleaning lady arrived, the dog was shot.
There was blood on the animal’s face and no visible entry wound which suggested to family the dog had been in a fight. When they took her to the vet, they received antibiotics. Yet when Eire continued to show signs of pain, even with additional medication, X-ray images showed the bullet and fragments.
Malone contacted the Strathmore RCMP shortly after. The investigation is being led by Strathmore RCMP Cst. Clayton Dunnington, who was unavailable when the Strathmore Times reached out for comment. The family is hopeful the bullet fragments, which are now able to be retrieved, will aid in the investigation. According to police, the report had not mentioned the death of the animal or bullet fragments earlier this week. While the family said no one has come forward with information, they want to raise awareness within the community.
“The burden of proof for something like that is really high and really who’s going to admit to shooting a dog in the head? Nobody,” said Malone. “So, short of a miracle and with ballistic proof, the next best thing is going to create awareness. There’s kids around here, our grandkids are up there … this is technically not in the hamlet, but you can’t have bullets flying around. Whether someone shot her intentionally or there were random bullets flying around, they shouldn’t be.”
Although the family hopes to one day get some closure and justice for the fate of their much-loved pet, they are now left grieving the loss. The family is asking anyone with information about the incident to contact Cst. Dunnington at 403-934-3968. Those with information can also contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or online at P3Tips.com.