When a woman arrived home, she was shocked to see her dog covered in what looked like bug bites. Then, she got closer and knew he needed to go to the vet. There, she was told what the odd marks really were, and she was horrified.
Hayden Howard of Seymour, Indiana, is the proud owner of an adorable, 100-pound English Mastiff puppy named Jackson. She loves her big pup, but one day, she realized something wasn’t quite right with her furry friend. While running her hands through his thick fur, she felt something that just wasn’t right. Under all that hair, she felt odd marks and what she thought were bumps on the animal’s skin.
Initially, Hayden believed the strange marks on Jackson’s body were likely bug bites. When she looked closer, however, she knew it was something much worse. Hayden was horrified to discover that Jackson didn’t have raised bumps, but instead, he had actual holes in his skin — and a lot of them. Perplexed, she took her beloved pet to the veterinarian, but nothing could prepare her for what would be discovered.
Hayden was stunned to find out that it wasn’t bug bites at all, and there was a much bigger problem at hand. There were indeed holes in Jackson’s flesh, and the cause was downright sickening. Jackson had been shot, repeatedly. As the vet got to work, shaving the dog in order to get to the wounds, 20 pellets and 7 BBs were removed from Jackson’s body. In addition, the staff estimated that there were at least another 20 pellets and BBs lodged in his body that they couldn’t remove. But, it gets worse.
The vet also estimated that another 20 projectiles had struck the dog and bounced off. That means Jackson was shot over 60 times. “I was in shock, I didn’t even know what to think,” Hayden recalled, according to Wave 3 News. Hayden wasn’t the only one stunned by the senseless act of violence against the animal. Police were called, and they were shocked to see what had been done to Jackson as well.
“I have never seen an animal shot that many times. It’s a very bad case and it’s sad to see,” Seymour Police Department Assistant Chief Craig Hayes said. This wouldn’t be the only stunning discovery they would make while investigating the case, however. While at Hayden’s house, officers found BBs stuck in a tree and followed the direction of fire. This led them to obtain a search warrant for the house next door belonging to 44-year-old Tim Woodward.
In addition to a BB gun and pellets, the police found methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia at Woodward’s home, Daily Mail reported. Tim Woodward was arrested on drug charges as police awaited test results to confirm that the gun and pellets matched those that caused Jackson’s injuries in order to build their case of animal cruelty against him. Police believe he may have been under the influence of drugs when he decided to use Jackson for target practice.
As for Jackson, he was expected to make a full recovery. But, this story could have had a much more tragic ending. It’s already bad enough, but make no mistake, Jackson is one lucky dog.
Although BB and pellet guns are often referred to as “toys” or “fake” by some news outlets, these are real guns that can cause real damage. While BB and pellet guns aren’t typically lethal against humans or other large animals, they most definitely can be.
“The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has reports of about 4 deaths per year caused by BB guns or pellet rifles,” according to a CPSC Safety Alert. The risk of death is increased if you are hit in the eye or head.
This gun was pointed at an animal and fired roughly 60 times, putting Jackson’s life at risk. When a crime is committed with a BB or pellet gun, it should be considered exactly what it is. It’s a real gun, and criminals who use it against the innocent should be charged as such.