Therapy Dog Tragically Mistaken For Wolf, Killed By Hunter At Point-Blank Range In Front Of Owner
A family is mourning the loss of their beloved therapy dog, Kaoru, after she was shot and killed by a hunter in Canada. On Monday, Vale Calderoni, her friend Markie Blackburn, Kaoru, and about nine other dogs were hiking through the woods in Squamish, British Columbia, when their adventure was cut tragically short when Vale’s Tamaskan dog, Kaoru, was shot and killed at point-blank range by a hunter.
As People reports, the Tamaskan dog is a rare breed that is made to look like a wolf. The breed is comprised of part Siberian Husky, part Alaskan Malamute, and part German Shepherd. This could have been the reason why the hunter mistook the dog for a wolf.
The Toronto Sun goes on to say that Vale was about 20 feet from her dog when she heard a gunshot go off and ducked for cover. When she got back up, she saw Kaoru wobble backward before she fell to the ground. Unfortunately, the dog was bleeding so profusely from her injuries that they were unable to get her help, and she died on the scene.
Calderoni owns a dog rehab center named Canine Valley, and she took to the business’ Facebook page to tell her followers about what had just happened. In the lengthy post, Vale explained that her beloved dog did a ton of good for the community, sometimes working with children with autism. Even when the kids were rough with Kaoru, she was incredibly patient, showing everyone that she was truly meant to be a therapy dog.
In a gut-wrenching part of the post, Vale tells her Facebook followers how Kaoru was tragically shot as well as how she felt when she was forced to hold her dying pet in her arms.
“She died. I never cried so hard in my life. I was faint; I could not breathe. The amount of pain I feel should never be experienced by anyone, ever, for any reason.”
Calderon ponders what may have happened if she was hiking with her kids and the careless hunter shot one of them. She then vows to take a stand for innocent animals who are tragically killed in hunting accidents and even posted a link to her GoFundMe page, which aims to make the area from Squamish to Whistler a no hunting zone. The page has already raised over $10,000.
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People goes on to report that while the hunting of deer in the area is permitted, the hunting of wolves is not. So even if the hunter had a valid permit, he should have never been able to shoot what appeared to be a wolf. The publication confirms that all parties, including the hunter, are cooperating in this investigation.
Do you think legal action should be taken against the hunter? Let us know in the comments.
[Featured Image by Bildagentur Zoonar GmbH/Shutterstock]
