A Coats area family is now looking for answers after they found their beloved German Shepherd shot to death last weekend.
The Potter family of Coats had two dogs living on their large tract of land in the area near Abattoir Road outside Coats. Angie Potter said on Friday afternoon one of the dogs, a German Shepherd named Shepp, could not found. She said her daughter looked around the property and found Shepp’s body. He had been shot in the head, apparently from someone only a short distance away. The bullet entered one side of the dog’s head and exited the other side.
The family thinks someone killed their dog on purpose.
“We don’t know who did this, but it was definitely intentional,” Mrs. Potter said.
She said the person who shot the dog did so at close range, most likely during daylight hours. The dog was last seen alive and healthy at approximately 11 a.m. Friday and found dead at approximately 6:30 p.m., meaning the shooting occurred during that period.
It is not known from where the bullets came.
“If they weren’t on our property when they did it, they were close,” Mrs. Potter said.
The Potter family has owned Shepp since 2013 when they adopted him. They have another dog, a Chesapeake Bay retriever, who also lives outside and was not injured.
“I’m afraid they might come and do this again to our other dog,” Mrs. Potter said.
Mrs. Potter said her family has lived at their current address for 11 years and has always gotten along with neighbors and others with whom they have interacted.
“We have never had issues and never had a disagreement with anyone around us,” Mrs. Potter said. “That is why this is so engaging. We don’t know who could have done it.”
Mrs. Potter said the sheriff’s office is investigating the case. The family is also offering a reward to help find the shooter. They have shared their story with hundreds of people through social network sites.
“We just want to find out who did this to our dog,” Mrs. Potter said.
Mrs. Potter has posted information about Shepp on her personal Facbook page in an effort to find the person who killed her dog.
Anyone who may have information on the case can call the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office at 910-893-9111. Mrs. Potter said she will offer a $1,000 reward if someone comes forward and the person who killed her dog is caught.
-Dunn Daily Record
