HUDSONVILLE, Mich. — A family in Ottawa County is mourning the loss of a beloved pet after they say he was shot twice in the head by a neighbor after he wandered into their yard Saturday morning. The owner says when she went to get the dog she heard two gunshots then found him dead at the edge of the property.
Linda Holmes says she's devastated by the loss of her German Shepard, Sawyer. Holmes tells Fox 17 her family shares a driveway with their neighbor and this isn't the first time her dog has wandered into his hard, but just wishes it didn't go as far as it did. Now, she's getting the police involved.
Saturday afternoon was a regular day for Holmes. She decided to let one of her family dogs outside for a few minutes.
"He was a sweetheart and a gentle dog," said Holmes. "He liked to bark, but he liked to bark at anything and everything."
A few minutes after Holmes let Sawyer, her six year old German Shepard, outside, she heard him barking at her neighbor's home.
"I heard him barking and I kept thinking to myself I better hurry up and get over there," said Holmes. "I was on my way and I heard the gunfire and the barking stopped. Within a few seconds I heard another gun shot."
In that moment, Linda say she knew Sawyer was dead.
"My heart sank because the barking stopped," said Holmes. "I knew he shot him. Then I heard another gun shot. Why did he have to do it twice?"
Holmes believes her neighbor shot her dog twice in the head as it was on it's way back to her home after she called for him. Sawyer was found at the edge of her neighbor's property.
"I was just really angry, hurt and distraught," said Holmes. "I couldn't believe my eyes and what I had seen."
Fox 17's attempts to speak with the neighbor were unsuccessful.
A police report has been filed with the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office, but if the neighbor believes the dog was a threat on his property, he could legally shoot him. Fox 17 is waiting on information from the sheriff's department to hear the neighbor's side of the story.
