WILBURN, Ark. — Cleburne County deputies are investigating after a puppy was shot in the face this weekend. The dog’s family is now outraged, saying their neighbor is responsible for nearly killing her.
The Vasquez family has lived in rural Cleburne County for years with plenty of pets and has never had an issue until now.
From a litter of 13 puppies, five month old Sophie appears to have wound up the unlucky one. Owner Thomas Vasquez says he briefly let the German Shepherd-Husky mix off the leash to run Saturday. He figured it would be fine, as they have 80 acres of land for her to stretch her legs.
Within 15-20 minutes, Vasquez says he heard gunshots, with Sophie eventually limping back up to the house covered in blood. He says his neighbor pulled the trigger, claiming Sophie tried to attack a cow. Vasquez is convinced the 20 lbs. dog isn’t capable.
“She can’t hurt no animals,” he said. “I know she can’t, she’s too nice.”
Vasquez immediately called the sheriff’s office to file a report. He’s hopeful his neighbor will soon face criminal charges.
“If he’s just out shooting people’s animals, he needs to be punished,” Vasquez said.
In the meantime, he’ll be focused on Sophie’s around-the-clock care. Originally, Vasquez’s family didn’t plan to keep her but now they’re not sure they can part with her.
“We’re probably going to keep her now that this happened, just because she deserves a good life,” he explained.
The vet told Vasquez Sophie should pull through. The pup has a long recovery ahead, but with a loving family to help her, unlucky 13 may have just lucked out.
The Cleburne County Sheriff’s Office was not able to provide the report or any further information as of Monday night.
