Officers from the Stoddard County Sheriff’s Office in Missouri shot a senior dog, and then left him in a ditch, according to Fox2 News.
Senior dog goes missing after thunderstorm
Parker was a pup from Dexter, Missouri. A thunderstorm on Sunday night scared him and he ran away from home. He ended up on a woman’s porch. The resident posted the pup’s pic on Facebook. Then, she contacted the Stoddard County Sheriff’s Office in the hopes that the authorities could reunite the pooch with his parent. Officers picked up the dog and took him to Otter Slough Park. There, the officers shot Parker and abandoned his body in a ditch.
The dog’s dad, Bryan Pennington, took Parker in nine years ago when the pup’s previous dog dad couldn’t afford to feed him. When Pennington learned his dog was found by the Sheriff’s office, he contacted the authorities. Officers came by for a home visit and to retrieve photos of the dog. Later, officers told Pennington the dog was at the park. It’s unclear if they informed him that the dog was dead. When Pennington arrived, he discovered Parker’s body in a ditch.
“We don’t have any way of taking care of a dog,” an officer apparently told the dog’s dad.
Dog dad calls out Sheriff’s department
Pennington shared news of Parker’s heartbreaking death on Facebook. He also called out the Sheriff’s department for killing his pup.
“Parker showed no aggression towards him or anyone during this,” Pennington wrote. “From the time he picked Parker up, and I got a hold of them, it was less than 30 minutes. Now, I have to explain to my children that Parker went to doggy heaven.”
The Stoddard County Sheriff’s Office announced that it is investigating the incident.
“On Sunday, August 27, 2023, at approximately 1 p.m., the Stoddard County Sheriff’s Office received a call regarding an injured dog in the rural Dexter area. Several concerns have been raised about the handling of this call,” Sheriff Carl Hefner said in a post. “I am aware of these concerns and have requested the Missouri State Highway Patrol investigate this matter. The Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office supports my request for an independent investigation.”
Additionally, Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Sawyer Smith is conducting an investigation into Parker’s death. In a Facebook post, he wrote, “Prosecutor Smith has requested a formal investigation by the Missouri State Highway Patrol pertaining to an incident that occurred on or about August 27, 2023.”
Memorializing senior dog shot by sheriff’s officers
Triple H Rescue Ranch, a Missouri rescue, hopes to build a dog kennel in Parker’s name. Brenda Kay Collier, the owner of the rescue, said in a Facebook post that she has room for dogs. She added, “Parker would have been in that shelter until I found his owner if I had been called.” The rescue is accepting donations to build the dog kennel.
