A blue heeler mix pup ? which suffered a head injury and had to be euthanized ? was shot with a firearm and not tortured, according to a statement from the Cowley County Sheriff’s Department.
"The injuries on the dog were consistent with a gun shot wound to the jaw," the statement read.
A report in Wednesday’s Winfield Courier suggested "someone had taken a sharp object to (the dog’s) jaw and removed it as an act of torture or flat out cruelty."
A source told NewsCow that investigators issued a statement to address misinformation that had raised concerns among some rural landowners.
The dog was taken to a veterinarian in Winfield and had to be destroyed due to the extent of its injuries.
Authorities indicated an investigation into the shooting of the animal was ongoing.
On Nov. 14, officers responded to a report of possible animal abuse at 21483 102nd Rd. The reporting party said the six-month-old Heeler mix pup was found in the driveway with a head injury.
Two other dogs are still missing from the same residence.
