Police Say Salma Hayek’s Neighbor Had The Right To Kill Her Dog
Salma Hayek’s dog made headlines when she posted his photo on Instagram on Friday, saying he “didn’t deserve a slow and painful death.” The 49-year-old actress revealed that her dog had been killed by “a bullet close to his heart.”
Hayek’s dog, a 9-year-old German shepherd mix named Mozart, was running at large. Mozart and another dog were with a caretaker who was horseback riding on the actress’s Washington ranch, about 55 miles south of Seattle. According to Daily Mail, the caretaker told police that she was was riding around the property with two dogs following. The dogs took off, barking. A spokesman from the Thurston County sheriff’s office said that only one dog returned, but the caretaker didn’t notice until she got home.
Someone reportedly shot and killed Salma Hayek’s dog Mozart: https://t.co/t3E6YLC2oB pic.twitter.com/xL3rcesIXo
— Complex Pop Culture (@ComplexPop) February 28, 2016
Upon going back to search, the caretaker found the dog, dead. A veterinarian reported that a bullet had nicked an artery close to his heart, and he died slowly from internal bleeding.
Hayek posted on Instagram that Mozart was a dog she had “personally delivered out of his mother’s womb.”
“I am hoping that the Washington State authorities do justice to this wonderful dog whom in 9 years never bit or attacked anyone.”
She added that Mozart, “loved his territory and never strayed away.”
The investigation wrapped today when a neighbor confessed to the killing. TMZ reported that the neighbor said he was “sick of her dogs coming onto his property and attacking his dogs, which he says happened every time Salma’s caretaker took the pets for a walk.”
Neighbour confesses to killing #SalmaHayek dog https://t.co/XSxuiQYTFB pic.twitter.com/cqAqdSwOJU
— ET Canada (@ETCanada) February 29, 2016
Hayek is a longtime animal lover, having shared many photos of animals in her “sanctuary” on her Instagram since opening the account in March of 2015. The Huffington Post shared some photos of her hugging an alpaca named Cinnamon, lounging in bed with a couple of dogs and some parrots, and checking a henhouse for eggs.
In a 2013 appearance with Ellen Degeneres, she gushed over her family of animals.
“I have five horses, four alpacas, one cat, eight dogs, one hamster, five parrots, two fish. I’m sure I’m forgetting something. This is like giving thanks at the Oscars, you know you forget someone.”
She added that there “must be something in the air” on her ranch, because her animals all continue to reproduce.
Last November, Hayek told Jimmy Fallon that she takes in strays off the street, and was up to nine dogs.
Reactions to the story of Mozart have run the gamut, from outrage, to acknowledging a red flag for more responsible pet ownership. The Facebook page is rife with comments.
“If he had issues he should have called the authorities. Complete and utter BS. I am outraged by this basically endorsed murder.”
Other Facebook users are not as sympathetic. “To prevent incidents like this people need to keep their pets contained in their yard.”
“Contain your animals!” another said. “No pet should be running loose whether you live in the country or city, if you truly care about your pets you’d have them in a secure yard or inside your home where things like this are not even a possibility.
“If your dogs are aggressive and attacking a neighbors pet on a regular basis and trespassing on their property they have every right to protect what is theirs.”
Police have closed the investigation, since the dogs were on the neighbor’s property.
[Image via Denis Makarenko/Shutterstock]
