Allen Robertson sat in the parking lot of Mississippi State University School of Veterinary Science’s emergency clinic for hours last week as he decided what he might tell his four children and granddaughter about the family’s dog, Ginger.
Robertson, a Starkville resident, found Ginger critically wounded near his home. After rushing her to MSU, staff determined the 4-year-old dog had been shot multiple times in the face with a shotgun.
Three pellets struck her beneath the eye, penetrating her brain. An additional 32 pellets were found in the back of her head and across her back.
While Robertson had immediately reached out through a GoFundMe page to help raise the funds for her surgery — raising more than $2,000 in 24 hours from more than 100 people — estimates for surgery totaled more than $8,000.
Eventually, Robertson and MSU staff decided to end Ginger’s pain through euthanization.
“It was just devastating for us,” said Robertson, who works with MSU maintenance and is a call maker with Black Feather Game Calls.
Now Robertson has partnered with In Defense of Animals, an animal protection organization that operates Hope Animal Sanctuary in Grenada, and Justice for Animals Coalition in announcing a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whomever shot Ginger.
Witness testimony is critical in cases like these, which Doll Stanley, the director of Justice for Animals Coalition, says she gets reports of such abuse — including shootings, poisonings, and more — daily.
Current state law allows animals to be killed if they’re deemed “menacing,” she added.
Mississippi’s animal cruelty laws state they do not prohibit “injuring or killing an unconfined dog or cat on the property of the person, if the unconfined dog or cat is believed to constitute a threat of physical injury or damage to any domesticated animal under the care or control of such person.”
“Without witnesses, it is nearly impossible to dispute shooters’ claims,” Stanley said.
She pointed out that the law defines animals as property, and thus charges hang on whether an animal is deemed “valuable enough” to have the person in charge of the abuse be prosecuted with felony charges.
“It’s time for us to update our laws in Mississippi — all animals are worthy of equal protection,” she said.
Stanley said often people become erratic with an animal that comes onto their property, and instead of filing trespassing charges, end up abusing the animal as a “quick fix” to their problems.
Stanley recommends that animal owners end the practice of letting their animals roam completely freely at all times.
Robertson said a new puppy picked out with help from his daughter will likely spend more time indoors.
“We’re trying her inside,” he said. “I just don’t want this one to get shot.”
Robertson said he does not understand why anyone would resort to violence when dealing with another person’s pet.
“I mean it seems like pretty common sense to me,” he said. “Just don’t shoot someone’s dog, don’t shoot someone’s pet.”
Sam Luvisi is news editor and covers education for The Dispatch.
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