WALDRON (KFSM) – Two Waldron men are behind bars after shooting a dog in the head with a shotgun, according to the Scott County Sheriff’s Office.
Greggory Godfrey and Ryan Allen were arrested Friday (Jan. 9) by deputies following an investigation into the injuries of a black Labrador from Dec. 22. They face charges of aggravated animal cruelty, a Class D felony, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
An arrest warrant affidavit filed in Scott County states Godfrey and Allen shot the dog in the head twice with a shotgun, causing severe swelling and injuries along the side of the dog’s head and its neck. A local veterinarian performed surgery on the dog, which survived but lost an eye.
A man named William Owens contacted authorities on Dec. 22 to tell them someone had shot his dog. He took his dog to the vet after finding it injured, but was unsure at first what caused the injury, Owens said.
"I love that dog," Owens said. "It and my kids are the only thing I got I've got 80 head of cattle and I wouldn't trade that dog for all them cattle. His name is Pup.
Owens said he only became aware his dog’s injuries could be the result of a shooting when he heard rumors a neighbor may be responsible. Deputies talked to a neighbor on Cattleman’s Road who said his son and his son’s friend---later identified as Godfrey and Allen---told him they accidentally hit a dog with a vehicle, then shot the dog to put it out of its misery, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.
The two suspects met with investigators and said they only shot the dog because it was so injured, with intestines protruding out. However, Allen later changed details in his story, such as the distance away from the dog, where the dog was shot and how many shots were fired, the affidavit states.
The suspects also reportedly told deputies the dog had no collar, and they did not know how they would find an owner. The veterinarian, speaking with authorities, said the dog had two collars on when it was brought into the vet facility.
Deputies concluded the inconsistencies in the stories were because the suspects were lying. Investigators said they also noticed the dog’s injuries were not consistent with the suspects’ story.
The dog suffered injuries from what appeared to be shotgun pellets along the right side of the dog’s face and head, and extending to the neck. The dog also lost hearing in one ear and had its eye amputated because of the injuries suffered from the shooting, according to the affidavit.
Deputies recovered two collars soaked in blood as evidence in the case. They appeared to have been damaged by small shotgun pellets, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.