Imagine stepping out into your garden to find your beloved furry friend looking like he lost a battle with an army of mosquitoes. Now, what if I told you those bites were not what they seemed? Welcome to the bizarre world that Hayden Howard stumbled into a few years ago.
One fine day, Hayden’s English Mastiff, Jackson, returned inside looking like a battlefield veteran. At first glance, it seemed like a bug apocalypse had descended upon him. But oh, dear reader, the reality was far more sinister than a couple of pesky insect bites.
In a plot twist that no pet owner ever wishes to experience, Jackson was actually peppered with BB gun pellets. Yes, our lovable Jackson, who couldn’t harm a fly, was the victim of what could only be described as someone’s appalling idea of target practice.
“I was completely shocked, I didn’t know what to think,” Hayden confessed between breaths of disbelief as she rushed her poor pup to the vet. As if living in a crime-thriller novel, Jackson was laying in the vet’s office, full of these tiny, cruel formations of metal.
“Within the folds of his fur, under his eyelid, in his ear, and even his knee – those malicious pellets were everywhere,” Hayden recounted, painting a picture that sounds closer to a scene from a crime drama than a quiet afternoon at home.
To give clippers a full workout, the vet shaved most of Jackson’s fur, managing to extract a painstaking 27 bullets while tragically having to leave 20 shells embedded due to the danger of their removal.
And that’s not all, dear animal lovers. Sweet Jackson had suffered nearly 70 gunshot wounds. Yes, the number seven followed by a zero – even in print, it feels criminal.
Assistant Chief Craig Hayes from the Seymour Police Department, no stranger to the peculiarities of human behavior, stated in disbelief, “I have never seen an animal shot that many times. It’s a very bad case, and it’s sad to see.” And there you have it, folks – the understatement of the century.
Proceeding on leads, the police homed in on a suspect whose sense of neighborly love included contraband firearms and a buffet of methamphetamines. What a charming participant in our community fabric!
To our great relief, the law did its thing, leaving us with one message: may the offender find extensive accommodations in a cell. Meanwhile, a piece of advice from yours truly – keep them forever away from anything that breathes.
Despite this traumatic opera of events, Jackson’s resilience shines through like a beam of stubborn sunshine. Our gallant Jackson is on the mend, preparing to resume his romp in the yard, hopefully under guardian zookeepers who supervise playtime.
View this news article regarding the incident:
Sadly, society often dubs BB and pellet guns as “toys”—a charming misnomer for items capable of such bittersweet “games.” Both legally and ethically, these are weapons, and those who wield them against innocence ought to visit dubious hotel accommodations free of charge.
Join me in wishing Jackson the speediest of recoveries, so he may once again bask under the sun’s rays, wrestling with butterflies instead of dodging bullets.
In conclusion, the heartache of the situation is a lasting reminder that some things never change, like our love for our pets and our disdain for those who hurt them. Here’s to happy endings, loving dog owners, and justice served cold.
