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Wiskie and guns don't mix
By SAM COOPERGolden retriever allegedly shot and injured by teens with airsoft guns
LAYTON -- A Layton man is steaming mad. He says a couple of teenage boys shot his 3-year-old golden retriever, Wiskie, with an airsoft gun. The boys deny the claim, and police say there's not enough evidence to prosecute.
Bob Parrish said the incident began Wednesday night when he was working in his shop behind his home and noticed spots of blood scattered across the cement floor.
After checking himself for wounds, Parrish said he tracked his dog, Wiskie, into a back room. There, he discovered the dog was bleeding from a hole in his hind-end.
"I thought, my god, someone's shot my dog," Parrish said. "I hollered, 'Come and get Whiskey and take him to the vet!' "
After calling neighbors to see if they had seen anything, Parrish said he hopped on his four-wheeler and drove down a dirt trail behind his garage.
Kays Creek runs behind his home and a dirt road runs parallel to it for about 200 yards. Parrish's dogs sometimes wander out to the trail, especially if they see someone walking past.
After driving a few hundred feet down the road, Parrish saw two teenage boys running full steam away from him, he said.
"They were running with everything they had," Parrish said. As he pulled closer to the boys, who were carrying three airsoft pistols, they stopped running, he said.
"I said, 'Which one of you shot my dog?' " Parrish said, admitting that he was beside himself, shouting and using foul language. "I had them within 10 minutes after they shot him."
One of the boys reportedly said, " 'If we shot your dog, we didn't mean to,' " Parrish said.
The other boy just stood there in total shock, Parrish said. He then forced them to hand over the three guns.
"I said, 'Hey, I'm going to call the cops,' and they said they were going to call them, too," he said. "They called the cops on me and said there was a drunk yelling at kids."
When the Layton police arrived, Parrish said he was told to return the guns because of a lack of evidence linking the boys to the crime.
Parrish said he took Wiskie to the Animal Emergency Center in Sunset, where the wound was examined before the dog was released to go home.
Veterinarians were unable to locate any foreign object in the dog, but Parrish said he was told the wound was caused by some kind of projectile. Parrish said that if an airsoft gun was used, the shooter would have been very close to his dog for the projectile to pass through his fur.
After returning to his shop, Parrish said he located a small plastic BB covered with fluid near where the dog had been laying.
"It just surprised the hell out of me that I even found it," he said. "I picked it up with a paper towel. He'd (Wiskie) already got it out somehow, licking at it, working at it."
Parrish called the police again Thursday.
After re-interviewing the teens, Officer Russ Godfrey said police still didn't have sufficient evidence to link the boys to the crime.
"We've got no information to show that they were involved, or no information from them to follow up on to who else might have been involved or caused injury to the dog," he said. "The case is just going to be closed out as inactive due to the lack of any information to follow up on."
Parrish was angered by what he saw as a lack of interest by Layton police.
"There's no doubt in my mind that those kids shot my dog. I bet my life and everything that is holy to me."
Parrish said Davis Animal Control had been by his home and were going to investigate as well.
If all else fails, he said he would file a lawsuit. "I'll probably go civil at least for the vet bills," he said. He said he also plans on getting the Humane Society involved.
"I want that kid to get some kind of counseling, because he committed a sin, that to me, is just about like murder," he said. "Anyone that would shoot an animal, especially a dog or cat ... you just don't shoot a golden retriever pup. They need to be prosecuted for animal cruelty."
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I live in N Davis County and have had problems with this since moving back here a few years ago. Not only with teens, but adults! I have 22 cats buried on my property to prove the abuse from a few people in this area. I've caught my neighbors "sicking" their dog on cats killing them. (Including several of mine) I caught a kid in my back yard just last week who claimed; "I'm not doing anything wrong or illegal, I can shoot anything I want, anywhere I want" when I discovered one of my cats had been injured and found this person with an air rifle behind my house. There was a period of almost one year where 19 cats were found dead in my yard. I was even shot at last year by 2 men shooting shotguns after asking if they shot one of my cats. When I threatened to call police, a father came to my home saying he was going to shoot me for trespassing! I called the police, and was told they were of old stock and had settled the area. He also told me I would go to jail if I didn't leave them be. What is going on with the people here? I've called animal control and the police who seem to think its all a joke. Something needs to be done about the attitude of these people here. I grew up here on property that has been in my family since the mid 1800's. When I was growing up and if I committed such an act my father would have thrashed me to no end, not to mention a scolding from members of the community. Now, no one is responsible and kids and parents alike are allowed to do anything they want without repercussion! what's happened to morality and the sense of community and showing respect for your neighbors??
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