A $500 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for shooting a neighborhood brindle pit bull in Charleston.
Doll Stanley, of Winona, who is with In Defense of Animals’ Justice for Animals Campaign, said the female dog, Lola, was shot once in each hip during the local weekend incident and her injuries were so severe she had to be euthanized.
A community member contacted Stanley, who journeyed to Charleston Monday morning to rescue the injured animal from property adjacent to 248 Taylor St., just outside the city limits.
“The bleeding had been stopped, but the wounds were still open,” Stanley noted. “I didn’t know if we would be able to save her.”
She said Tallahatchie County Deputy Sheriff John Page assisted in the effort, loading the dog into Stanley’s vehicle for transport to a Grenada animal clinic.
After evaluation there, it was determined her situation was so grave that the only humane option would be to euthanize Lola.
“Her hip was blown up, and she had nerve damage to the spine,” Stanley noted. “She really was a sweet dog.”
An injured Charleston dog, Lola, is wheeled into Veterinary Associates in Grenada for evaluation. She suffered two gunshot wounds, inflicting injuries so severe the dog had to be euthanized. (Photo by Doll Stanley)
Stanley said seven .223 caliber spent casings were found at the edge of the Charleston property where the dog lay.
“Somebody was standing right there when they shot her,” Stanley noted.
“It’s just amazing to me, the heartlessness of humans toward our fellow creatures, who through no fault of their own are where they are,” she added. “Someone who would do that, who knows what they would do in a domestic incident.”
Doll Stanley
Stanley said pit bulls are being bred “like hotcakes.” She noted that they are “the most abused and most euthanized of any canine.”
Anyone with information about the shooting of Lola is asked to call Stanley at 662-809-4483 or the Tallahatchie County Sheriff’s Office in Charleston at 662-647-5511 or 662-647-3700.
Under Mississippi law, someone who unlawfully shoots a dog may face possible misdemeanor criminal charges as well as civil penalties.
