MOUNT VERNON — Sue Rine is unhappy with the Knox County Animal Shelter. Early on the morning of June 13 — a Saturday — someone shot Rine’s Jack Russell terrier in her daughter’s back yard.
“My dog was shot and my daughter stopped at the shelter and talked to the animal control officer,” Rine said. “They told her if we didn’t see anybody do it, there wasn’t much they could do about it. She asked them if they could come out and investigate. They told her there wasn’t much they could do.”
Rine’s daughter, Collete, who was attempting to make the report, insisted on getting the form to make the report herself.
“When my daughter came back to the house, I called the sheriff’s office,” Rine explained. “They told me that was something for animal control.”
Rine said the shooting took place about 1:17 Saturday morning. She said she knew the time because a neighbor reported to the sheriff’s office about hearing shots fired in the area about that time. Rine’s daughter found the dog about 3:30 Saturday morning when she came home after being out with friends, and rushed it to the vet. The dog survived its wounds.
Knox County Animal Control Officer Roger Reed said Collete came in and filled out the form on June 17.
“My officer was getting ready to leave when she came in. He gave her the forms,” he said.
Rine confirmed that with her daughter, but said the officer told her it would be a waste of time.
“[Animal control] didn’t write out a report,” Rine said. “My daughter went out and she did the report. The animal control officer didn’t go out of his way to fill it out. She insisted on getting the forms to fill out.”
“There’s not a whole lot we can do in a case like this,” said Reed. “We’re probably not going to get much if we knock on all the doors in the neighborhood and ask people if they shot the dog.”
Anyone who has information on the incident is asked to contact the animal shelter at 393-6713.