CREEK COUNTY, Okla. - A Green Country family made a gruesome discovery in their own yard this week.
Every morning, all three of the King’s dogs roam free.
Thursday, they’re devastated to only have one left.
“That’s what has affected me most, having to explain to them that people are cruel and sick,” said Creek County resident Leslie King.
On Tuesday, two of their dogs: Moose and Noah, didn’t return home with the third, Wiley.
When Moose finally showed, something was off.
“He kind of just got real stiff, and fell over and he started having seizures,” said Leslie’s wife Stephanie King.
She rushed to a Mounds veterinarian.
“And he died in the parking lot.”
She said the vet told her he’d been poisoned.
“Maybe they got into some pesticides and Noah just didn’t make it back to the house,” she thought.
Stephanie posted to Facebook as they started frantically looking for Noah.
“Three feet from the property line, shot in the head,” remembered Leslie.
Stephanie made the horrifying discovery on Wednesday.
“I started crying,” said their daughter Aspyn Taylor.
Stephanie said the dog had been shot in the head.
“Without a shadow of a doubt, somebody placed him there after he was shot in the head,” Leslie said.
Creek County, where the family lives, doesn’t have leash laws.
But Kiefer’s police chief, in the town over from where the incident happened, said that doesn’t make this black and white.
“If the dogs are aggressive and they’re attacking livestock or they’re attacking people, obviously you can defend yourself and defend your livestock by putting the animal down,” said Chief Johnny O’Mara.
But the Kings said they never got complaints, and they don’t think the dogs were the aggressors.
“If you’re cruel in any way to the animal as you’re putting it down, then that can be animal abuse,” the chief explained.
Regardless of how it happened, Stephanie and Leslie are most upset for their kids, and whoever would do this to them.
“They’re just going to have to figure life out for themselves. I don’t know.”
The family told 2 Works for You they did reach out to the Creek County Sheriff’s Office, but were told they could only fill out an information report.
EDIT: The Creek County Sheriff's Office got back to 2 Works for You Thursday late afternoon.
Chief Deputy Fred Clark said the family did not want to file a report, so it's not under investigation.
However, even if they did he admits there's not much the department can do.
The neighbors deputies talked to did not see what happened, and he said there aren't many rights for pet owners when the animals aren't a leash.
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