The Nevada Sagebrush

Hayley Rasmussen

Last fall, I received a call that my neighbor’s beautiful, sweet, one-year-old Labrador retriever was shot. He was immediately rushed to the emergency animal hospital in town where X-rays showed the gun wound entered through his back and ruptured his stomach. This was inoperable, and General, the sweet, shy dog, could not be saved. General was shot from behind, meaning he was running or walking away from the human. He was very sweet and quiet and never hurt another animal, so he was not disrupting livestock or other animals. This was shocking to a quiet, rural neighborhood in north Reno.

We kept a closer eye on our own dogs and never let them run too far. After the first big snow storm this year, while I changed my clothes after work, my brother’s dog Reno jumped the fence to run down to the horses and sniff around. My father came up asking me to check Reno because he was bleeding from his nose. At first glance it looked like he was bitten, until I cleaned him up and heard gurgling noises from the top of his nose. There were two wounds, and I could tell they were connected. He was shot. The bullet pierced his nasal canal. I immediately called my brother and rushed his dog to the ER.

X-rays revealed remains of the bullet in Reno’s head near his brain and in his throat. Surgery to remove the remains was not an option. He is still alive and happy, but we never know if a piece of metal may move to his brain or heart and kill him.

This dog is everything to my brother. He’s had him since he was a puppy. Though my brother and dad followed blood tracks to a house above ours, we don’t know for certain it’s them, and there were no witnesses to help pursue a legal claim.

It’s scary to know that someone in such a quiet area is shooting dogs, especially when there are three young boys right next door who like to run around in the same area as the dogs.

I don’t mean to jump down anyone’s throat about gun control, but I do believe that people should pass some kind of test to make sure they are in an emotional state and have the maturity level which will allow them to carry a gun safely. I have encountered far too many animals with gunshot wounds in my life, from these stories to my treating two horses that were shot on New Year’s Day.

One horse was killed and one was brought into the clinic to be treated. There were no leads on who shot the horses on their owner’s property. It was a very upsetting and costly experience for the owner. The horse that survived was absolutely miserable. She was lethargic, depressed and difficult to treat.

Hopefully, someday monitoring people who buy and use guns will be easier and taken more seriously. If someone shoots a horse or dog, not much is going to stop them from shooting a person.

All we can do is keep a closer eye on our animals and hope the sick person who shot these animals is too stupid to figure out how to reload his gun.

Hayley Rasmussen is a pre-veterinary major and rides big, pretty horses in her spare time. Reach her at perspectives@nevadasagebrush.com.

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