Whether they’re puppies or fully grown, we tend to look at our dogs as children. We love them, care for them, and feed them. But sadly, we can’t keep an eye on them every minute of every hour, so they can get hurt while they’re out and about. Sometimes the injuries are minor like a bug bite here a tiny scratch there, but other times, the injury is more serious as one Indiana woman learned.
The Howard family from Seymour, Indiana consists of 24-year-old Hayden, his son, Noah, and Jackson, an English Mastiff. Jackson isn’t just a pet. He’s a part of the Howard family. Like most dogs, he loves to play in the yard and spend time with his human family. But one day, on April 2017, something unbelievable occurred to Hayden and Noah’s beloved English Mastiff.
Jackson had been roaming through the garden all weekend, but something caught Kayden’s attention. It seemed that Jackson had several odd marks on his body. But while Hayden was worried, Jackson didn’t appear to be in any discomfort, so she let the dog go about his day. However, she couldn’t stop wondering what those marks on his body were.
This wasn’t the first time Hayden had seen marks like these on Jackson, and usually they were just bug bites, which is fairly common when a dog spends time outdoors. So, she decided to wait and see if the bug bites would go away on their own. But they didn’t. In fact, they got worse and it was worrying Hayden. What if those bug bites weren’t really bug bites at all?
Although Jackson didn’t seem to be in any pain, Hayden was beginning to second guess her theory that the marks were bug bite related. So, she pushed through his fur to get a closer look at the marks and what she saw chilled her to the bone. Those raised bumps weren’t bug bites at all. But she still didn’t know what to make of them either. So, she was hoping the vet would tell her what those were.
When Hayden arrived at the Seymour Animal Hospital, Dr. Steve Sunbury was happy to receive her and her dog Jackson. But when the doctor examined the dog’s marks, he got very worried. It turns out that Hayden was right. Those marks weren’t caused by any bug, but he didn’t not what caused it for sure. Fortunately, he had some idea. But was he on the right track?
Dr. Sunbury shaved patches of Jackson’s fur off to figure out what was causing those mysterious marks. Sadly, this meant that Jackson ended up with a fur pattern that closely resembled a checkerboard. Despite this, the sweet dog remained calm while he did his thing. Then Dr. Sunbury made a discovery that was truly heartbeaking.
Dr. Sunbury discovered that the marks were puncture wounds caused by BB projectiles and pellets. This shocked Hayden to the very core. Someone in the surrounding areas had aimed a BB gun at Jackson and fired. She immediately realized she had to find the culprit behind this animal cruelty. But that was going to be a challenge.
Most people use BB and pellet guns in shooting competitions or to do a little target practice. But many don’t realize that BB guns can shoot at more than 60 mps, which is fast enough to break bones and rip through flesh. That’s why they should never be treated as a toy, because in the wrong hands, it can be just as dangerous as a real gun. But how bad serious were Jackson’s injuries?
Jackson had several pellets and BBs in his body. Fortunately, Dr. Sunbury was able to remove 21 BBs and 7 pellets from his body, but he feared that more might be stuck inside. The only solution to getting them all out would be through surgery. However, Sunbury was optimistic that Jackson would recover, which made Hayden happy. Now she had to make a call to find the culprit.
Hayden reached out to the Seymour Police Department and told them what someone did to Jackson. She even showed the officers the dog’s wounds and the pellets Dr. Sunbury removed. The stunned officers were happy to begin an investigation, but there was one problem. The only lead they had was a non-talking dog. How would they solve this case?
The cops went to Hayden’s home and searched the yard for clues. It wasn’t long before they found BB projectiles wedged into the trees and on the ground of Hayden’s garden. This helped authorities figure out what BB gun was used, as well as where the shots had originated from. Eventually they came to a conclusion, and it infuriated Hayden.
Cops concluded that the shots were fired from the home of Hayden’s next-door neighbor. With the evidence discovered, authorities got a warrant, which allowed them to search the home of the neighbor. That’ when they found a BB gun, a pellet gun, and a bunch of drugs and drug related items. But the question remained, who was the homeowner?
It turns out that the neighbor was none other than Tim Woodward, who was booked on drug possession charges, but authorities needed more evidence to slap him with animal cruelty charges. Still, this gave Hayden and her family some peace of mind knowing that Woodward was behind bars. But she still wanted him to pay for what he did to Jackson, she tried one more thing.
Hayden and her family were offering a $500 reward to anyone with evidence that could help authorities bring animal cruelty charges against her neighbor. Although the investigation is not closed, Hayden hopes that other pet owners who might have suffered because of Woodward, will come forward. She still can’t believe anyone would Jackson, who was always docile and kind. So, how’s Jackson recovery going?
It’s been a long road. But after some surgery, and a series meds and antibiotics, Jackson appears to be well on his way to a full recovery. His fur is even starting to grow back! Fortunately, the incident hasn’t dampened Jackson’s kindness, which makes Hayden happy. She just hopes that her neighbor Tim Woodward will never be able to hurt anyone, human or otherwise.