Call us bleeding hearts; call us what you will, but no property owner or hunter should be able to intentionally shoot a dog, without it acting first in a threatening manner, and get away with it.
Kenneth Lupo, a resident of Columbus, visited with us several times over the course of the last two weeks to discuss the torture his dog went through after being shot with an arrow.
He showed us the broken tip of the arrow, he showed us the x-ray of his beloved pet Baron. We understood the pain it brought both him and his wife.
We unfortunately could not reach the animal control officer for Polk County to determine what, if anything, would be done to find the person who did this and punish them.
We know it can be frustrating when a stray or wandering animal comes onto your property. They can tear into garbage, destroy fencing or even terrorize your own animals. But to break off the end of an arrow after you shot it into a dog’s mouth and allow it to bleed to death is grotesque.
What kind of person does such a thing? What kind of people allow such a thing to continue happening? If our animal control officer is too overwhelmed to track down the perpetrators of such an event then the county needs to hire additional help. If nothing is being done for lack of statutes, then we need to evaluate our policies on punishing individuals who commit such heinous acts.
In such an animal-loving community, it’s a shame this still happens.
— Editorial staff, Tryon Daily Bulletin