On Tuesday, a Lincolnton woman shared with a local news station the harrowing experience of shooting her neighbor’s 8-month-old Golden-doodle named Ruger. The incident, as recounted by Ruger’s owner Morgan Dean, occurred on Easter Sunday. After an afternoon spent capturing Easter memories with her family, Dean noticed Ruger’s absence and initiated a search for him.
Utilizing the air tag attached to Ruger, Dean and her boyfriend Avery tracked him to the neighbor’s yard. It was there, at the property line, as Avery attempted to retrieve Ruger, that a gunshot echoed, signaling a tragic turn of events. In haste, they transported Ruger to an emergency veterinary clinic in Charlotte, clinging to hope despite being informed of the slim chances due to the severity of his injuries from buckshot impact. Sadly, Ruger did not survive.
Image/Story Source Credit: Queen City News via YouTube Video
The neighbor, Brenda Howard, admitted to being the one who shot Ruger, claiming the dog was caught harming her chickens near her coop. This incident wasn’t the first of Ruger’s ventures into her property, prompting her to address the recurring issue after facing social media backlash. Surveillance footage supported Howard’s claims, showing Ruger among other canines from Dean’s residence on her property on multiple instances.
Howard expressed that she had previously voiced her concerns to both the Deans and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, where she was advised on taking such drastic measures in response to the threat posed by Ruger.
Image/Story Source Credit: Queen City News via YouTube Video
Howard recounted the moment with evident distress, stating her unfamiliarity with the firearm and her reluctance to use it. She emphasized her dedication to the safety of her own animals as the driving force behind her actions, despite the unfortunate outcome. On the other side, Dean revealed that her family had only recently settled on the property and had not yet managed to erect a fence due to a family illness, highlighting the profound sorrow and regret permeating the aftermath of the incident.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, when approached for comments on the advice allegedly given to Howard regarding the defense against Ruger, refrained from commenting due to the ongoing investigation into the matter.
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