South Carolina: Labrador mix rescued after she was seen limping and dragging a leg-hold trap on her crushed foot

GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA -- An online video of a dog being rescued after her foot was crushed in a metal coyote trap has gone viral.

The video shot by California animal rescuers Eldad Hagar and Loreta Frankonyte, with Hope For Paws, was posted March 20 on YouTube and Facebook.

In less than a week, it was watched nearly 548,000 times on YouTube and shared more than 4,500 times on Facebook.

Someone in Gaston in Lexington County called Hagar and told him that the black Labrador Retriever mix had lived in a forest for about a year before she stepped on a metal foot-hold spring trap intended for a coyote.

Steel-jaw spring traps are legal in South Carolina and several other states.

 

 

 

Animal control officers had been trying unsuccessfully for five days to trap or catch the dog, which was clearly in severe pain, so someone called Hope for Paws for help.

Hagar and Frankonyte flew in from California and searched along with officers for a full day. They thought the dog might be afraid of the officers, so they asked to search alone on the second day.

They set a humane trap for the dog, but she avoided it. She had no human contact for a year, so she would not allow anyone to get near her, but even from a distance, it was clear the heavy trap she was dragging had crushed her right front paw.

 

 

Finally, when they got close enough to the dog, Frankonyte sat on the ground and tossed pieces of cheeseburger to her, talking reassuringly for more than two hours as the dog inched closer. But suddenly the dog got spooked and retreated into the woods.

Hagar had several soccer nets that he used in captures in California shipped to him overnight. They recruited volunteers who helped spread out the nets around an area where the dog had been spotted between some trees and a building. The volunteers then closed in on the dog, cornering her so that Hagar could snap her with a noose.

They rushed the dog to a Lexington County animal hospital.

The dog was anesthetized, and the rusty trap was pried off her foot. While she was at the animal hospital. It was also discovered that she had heartworm.

Hagar and Frankonyte stayed another day to be sure the dog which they named Hermione, was medically stable, before making the three-day drive across the country. They stopped each day to have a veterinarian change the bandages. Hagar said that every day, Hermione would lose more bone from her decaying foot.

  

 

 

 

They took Hermione to Dr. Robert Olds, a veterinary surgeon in West Los Angeles, who performed two reconstructive surgeries on her foot.

The healing took a couple of months, but when the bandages came off, Hermione began to immediately to walk and even trot around on her reconstructed paw while continuously wagging her tail.

She was treated for several months for heartworms, but Hagar announced last week that Hermione is completely healthy and ready to be adopted.

Hagar asked those who saw the video and who follow him online to encourage changing laws to outlaw metal spring traps.

CRUEL AND BARBARIC LEG-HOLD TRAPS
According to analysis by the Law Library of Congress, more than 100 countries worldwide ban steel-jaw traps.

The United States is not one of them.

Their use is banned or restricted in several U.S. states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Washington.

In South Carolina, steel-jaw foot-hold or leg-hold traps can be used without a license, with the only stipulation being that traps must be checked at least once daily, from two hours before sunrise to two hours after sunset.

VIDEO OF RESCUE:

(WYFF - March 26, 2018)

Pennsylvania: Poacher shot and killed beautiful elk and left its body to rot

PENNSYLVANIA -- Wildlife Conservation Officer Dan Murray of Centre County received a tip from a member of the public on November 30 regarding a dead bull elk on State Game Lands 100 in Burnside Township, Centre County.

Officer Murray and WCO Mark Gritzer necropsied the elk and determined the cause of death was a gunshot wound.

They believe the elk was shot outside of the elk season in the first few days of the rifle deer season.

Any information regarding this case should be reported to the North Central Region Office at 570-398-4744. You can also report online or through the Operation Game Thief hotline.

(Fox43 - December 8, 2017)

Texas: Family seeks justice after their 5-year-old daughter's beloved miniature pony named Chicken Nugget found shot to death

TEXAS -- Five-year-old Rylee Brett loved Chicken Nugget, her 25-inch-tall dwarf pony. When she was little, she would ride him around like a rodeo horse. When she got too big, he would sit down with the family and watch TV, reported KPRC.

Then, on the morning of Nov. 8, the family went outside to check on him in a fenced-in pen and found him shot to death at close range, reported the Houston Chronicle.

Kylee Brett, Rylee’s mother, posted the news to Facebook in an emotional message.

“RIP Chicken Nugget. You now have your wings and are flying high,” she wrote. “My heart is absolutely shattered as I try to find the words. The way you were taken from us was an act of a coward. Our smiles will never be quite as big as we drive through the pasture to watch you play.”

She added that “whoever stepped foot on our property and point blank shot him in the face will pay.”

The Bretts called the police and game warden to their ranch home in Hull, Texas. On Facebook, Brett wrote she had no idea who could have done the killing, but had some ideas for how it could have happened.

“There is no mistaking that they did it out of hatred,” she told WVTM.

“One theory of ours is a poacher did this to him that was spotlighting...the problem is, you don't mistake him as a deer within such a short distance while being with 4 other horses,” she wrote. 

Spotlighting is a controversial hunting technique where hunters use bright lights to detect the reflection in an animal’s eyes at night and stun them, reported Lubbock Online.

Rylee’s mother wrote on Facebook that her daughter was “confused, sad, happy (when we talk about our sweet memories), mad, and devastated,” but that she had been encouraged by an overwhelming show of support from people across the country. “She still isn't understanding. Everyone's sweet messages and comments are truly making her see there is still so much good in the world!,” her mother wrote on Facebook.

The case truly has brought out prayers and well-wishes from people across the country. Brett’s original post has been shared more than 3,000 times, and in the comments, several people posted photos of their own ponies and horses and offered to send them to Rylee.

The family is still seeking answers in the case, and Rylee’s mother wrote on Facebook that police and the game warden told her they felt confident that Chicken Nugget’s shooting could be solved.

“Our hearts are broken,” she told KPRC. “Very broken, and we’ll always miss him, we’ll always have that piece of our heart that’s broken. But good memories always help the heart heal a little faster.”

*  *  *  *  *  *

Kylee Allen Brett added 5 new photos.
November 8 at 2:05pm ·
RIP Chicken Nugget. You now have your wings and are flying high. You will never be forgotten. You will forever be missed. My heart is absolutely shattered as I try to find the words. The way you were taken from us was an act of a coward. Our family will always be one member short now and coffee in the mornings just won't be the same. Our smiles will never be quite as big as we drive through the pasture to watch you play. The creek feeders will have more feed and the calves will be lonely. Your horse friends no longer have a pit boss to guide them to their stalls. My daughters no longer have their best friend. I no longer have you to talk to.

Please help me find the words to explain to Rylee. Please help me cope to the fact Steelie won't ever get to have the memories we have. Please god help me understand. Why him? Please please please tell me why? Please pray for our family right now. Please fill me with the wonderful memories you have with Chicken Nugget, as I know so many people loved him. I know my granddaddy is feeding him cubes and apples right now. They are both loving it! I'm sure my Papa will enjoy his new fishing partner. Lord knows Chicken loved to pester you and knock the fishing pole out of your hands. I need so many prayers right now. Please pray.

******On another note******** whoever stepped foot on our property and point blank shot him in the face will pay. We have the police and the game warden here and I will personally be waiting to meet you. There is a special place in hell for you and I'm not scared to give you a first class ticket you pos!

Kylee Allen Brett
November 9 at 7:50am ·
UPDATE ON CHICKEN NUGGET:
We have never been so overwhelmed with love and support from family, friends, and strangers. Rylee woke up this morning and ran straight outside to see if Chicken Nugget had come back home. We had to explain that Jesus needed him way more then us and he was staying with him. Rylee said, " why can't he just come back alive, doesn't he miss me momma?" It shattered my heart all over again. I would just like to personally thank everyone for the phone calls, text, and fb messages. Also, I would like to thank Channel 2 News for contacting me and airing our story to get justice. I am trying to respond to everyone as quick a possible. We still haven't heard anything back from the police or game warden.

We have no FACTS at this point, so it's just a waiting game. I personally was told they recovered the bullet, but was just informed there was an exit wound... so no bullet (they like to keep the gory details from me, and I prefer it that way). We have no idea who could have been on our property to commit this awful act. We do however have some theories of what could have possibly happened. None of them justify the fact a trespasser coming on to OUR land and murdering OUR beloved Chicken Nugget in a fenced off horse trap with 4 other horses. One theory of ours is a poacher did this to him that was spotlighting.... the problem is, you don't mistake him as a deer within such a short distance while being with 4 other horses!!!!!

I've gone from crying to mad to absolute basket case all within 24 hrs. Rylee is confused, sad, happy (when we talk about our sweet memories), mad, and devastated. She has been through more then most 5 year olds ever have. Please continue to pray for our family and especially Rylee Klare.

 

Vanessa Child shared Kylee Allen Brett's photo.
November 9 at 10:04pm ·
If this picture doesn't speak volumes
I don't know what will.
I honestly hope the person who intentionally killed this little girls miniature horse see's this because they are lower than scum.
I pray this low life pos is found and pays for taking chicken nugget away from the Brett family especially Rylee
Kylee Allen Brett you all have been heavy on my mind
I hope you guys get justice for him.
anyone in and around the hull texas area in Liberty county
keep your eyes and ears open.

Kylee Allen Brett
November 10 at 12:32pm ·
UPDATE 11/10/17: the sheriffs department just left the ranch. They truly were concerned about our issue and made me feel a little better after talking with them. They feel very confident in solving the death of Chicken Nugget.

Thank you Channel 2 News for pushing the story to get Justice. Thank you Fox 26 for airing the story and helping spread the word! Thank you Houston chronicle for sharing our story as well. Thank you to my Family and friends, words cannot come to my mind at the moment to express my love and thankfulness. Y'all really have got us through this. Thank you to the complete strangers that I now consider friends, that have reached out and blessed us with so many prayers and well wishes.

I am doing my very best to respond to all messages. I apologize if I haven't wrote you back yet, as you can see our family has been overwhelmed with so much love and support. Again, thank you all for everything! I will continue to update you on the situation as much as possible. Please continue to pray as we get justice for our sweet Chicken Nugget.
-Kylee Brett

Kylee Allen Brett posted on Facebook November 11, 2017 ·
PLEASE SHARE!
UPDATE ON CHICKEN NUGGET 11/11/17: no new news on the investigation, but some absolutely WONDERFUL news from supporters... Rylee was gifted Chicken Nuggets sister, from what was an absolute stranger to forever family friend now.

We were so reluctant to add another pony to our family at this time. So many people have asked me, "why wouldn't you just get her another pony and she can heal faster". I can quickly say Chicken Nugget WAS NOT A PONY. He was our child, Rylees brother, and a huge part of our family. He was the only ears that would listen to my Father in laws rambling and still continue to come back everyday to hear more. The cows breakfast/lunch/dinner partner. The horses pit boss. The one to put the biggest smile on your face in any kind of situation.

He was really so much more then just a pony. Since we were offered Chicken Nuggets sister, Rylee made the choice that she wanted her. I know so many kind and generous people have offered their own family pony, or to buy Rylee a pony, or donate money to get Rylee a new pony.

We are so grateful for the offers and know people truly care and love us. We do not want to profit off of any of this and hope people understand, we are not denying your help or trying to be disrespectful in declining your offer. The very sweet and generous gentleman that gifted Rylee with Chicken Nuggets sister set up a go fund me for the hauling and vet cost to get her to Rylee.

Any money that is made over the amount it cost to haul is being donated to SpiritHorse Liberty in Rylee and Chicken Nuggets name. This is a absolutely wonderful organization that has always has every bit of my respect and holds a special place in my heart. If you would like to contribute this is a legit go fund me page and i have shared it in my page for you to see.

We have been asked so many times now if JUSTICE FOR CHICKEN NUGGET shirts are being made. This really was no idea of mine, but brought up after a little joke was made... we are finding anything we can to smile right now. I guess people really want to get these made. I am going to talk to a family friend that makes shirts. How do y'all feel about the shirts if all proceeds also go to Spirit Horse in Liberty? I would love y'alls opinions and feedback on this.
Last but not least: I have had every emotion in the book. After the sheriffs department left yesterday they really made me feel more comfortable in finding the shooter. My feelings in this as of right now are:

You killed our beloved Chicken Nugget on OUR LAND!!!! So many people have asked us if it could possibly be a hunting accident. Well, when you trespassed and came on private property you can no longer call it an accident in my book. You invaded our horses home, our home, and my other family members home. There are many theories on how far the bullet traveled to reach Chicken Nugget. We have been told several things. Some say very close range some say 50/60 yards. Either way the distance of the bullet doesn't matter to me. The shooter disrespected my family and took a huge part of everyone's lives. Whoever did this shot right next to a place of residence and could obviously tell there was a home, barn, and pipe fence... it was not a wooded area. After they saw what they did they ran like the COWARD they are. This is my view on it and I want this person to pay!!!

Please continue to pray! If you know anything please contact the sheriffs department and help find justice for Chicken Nugget!

Help ship Rylee Brett new horse
Created November 10, 2017
Jeff Lisowski
  Animals
  BELEN, NM
$1,610 of $1,200 goal
Raised by 25 people in 1 day
Rylee Brett(age 5) lost her best friend to someone shooting him on the family's ranch in Texas. I have agreed to give Rylee a new miniature horse in order to give this poor child a new best friend.
We are looking for donations to help cover the cost of shipping and vet work needed to accomplish this.
Any amount you can help with would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

(The Sacramento Bee - Nov 10, 2017)

Florida: Police searching for the person who shot and killed family's pony

FLORIDA -- Mandi N Justin Harris added 4 new photos to Facebook November 11, 2017 ·

***Caution****
The below images are graphic.

I am offering a $1,000 reward for anyone with information that leads to the arrest of the person who committed this sick senseless crime of killing an innocent animal!

Last night someone shot my horse with a high powered rifle from my grandma's pasture in Jacksonville, Fl (oceanway area).

The Jacksonville Sheriff's office crime scene unit conducted a full investigation and believe the rifle was fired from the direction of either oceanway village or The Gillespie Gardens area between the hours of 10:00pm Friday night to 5:00am Saturday morning.

I will stop shy of nothing to find and prosecute this person to the full extent of the law. If you or anyone you know have information please come forward. Please share this post and help me find the person who did this.

If you have any information please contact the Jacksonville Sheriffs office and refer to case #769654 or feel free to pm me on Facebook.

*** Also the reason he is wearing a halter and lead line is because this was a birthday gift from my mom that I never had a chance to put on him so I put it on him before this picture was taken to bury him in***

Note: He added that last part because people began questioning, in their posts, why the halter and lead was on the pony... because of their confusion, they began questioning whether the story was legitimate.

Pennsylvania: Ten-year-old and 17-year-old arrested, charged with illegally shooting and killing ten deer for fun over a two-nigh period in Beaver County

PENNSYLVANIA -- A tip to the Pennsylvania Game Commission's “Operation Game Thief” led to charges filed against two boys for illegally slaughtering at least ten white-tailed deer with a high-caliber rifle during two nights recently in Beaver County, according to an Oct. 31 report from the Game Commission.

The two boys, who were not identified in the Game Commission report, included a 10-year-old from Pennsylvania and a 17-year-old Ohio resident.

Why isn't the 17-year-old being charged as an adult - and identified??

There's a difference between legitimate hunting and the two-day 

slaughter. Were these even kill shots or were the animals 
purposely shot in a way that would have inflicted the most 
suffering and pain? 

Each suspect has been charged with four misdemeanor and six felony counts for unlawful taking of big game, including numerous summary offense charges for other violations.

Anyone with information about wildlife crimes can call the Operation Game Thief hotline at 1-888-PGC-8001 or visit http://bit.ly/PGCOGT to fill out an online form.

There's a difference between legitimate hunting and the two-day slaughter. Were these even kill shots or were the animals purposely shot in a way that would have inflicted the most suffering and pain? The animals not immediately killed were left to slowly suffer and die. And their meat, which could have been donated to a soup kitchen, went to waste. This is not normal.

(Tribune Live - Nov 3, 2017)

Florida: Don Daggett is accused of being a poacher; illegally killing alligator

FLORIDA -- A Palm City man illegally shot and killed an alligator near Lake Okeechobee for its meat, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says.

Officers arrested Donald Daggett in Palm Beach County on Oct. 21 and charged him with illegally killing the alligator.

A woman reported the March 12 incident to authorities on June 26, according to an arrest report.

The woman gave investigators a plastic bag full of alligator meat and video and pictures showing Daggett and another man taking an alligator from a ditch, the report states.

The men are accused of loading the alligator into Daggett's truck at an Army Corp of Engineering construction project on Lake Okeechobee in Palm Beach County. More photos show the two men cleaning the alligators and then dumping them.

Records show Martin County sheriff deputies arrested Daggett in July for sexual cyber harassment toward the same woman, unrelated to the alligator investigation. Daggett was driving his same work vehicle seen in the pictures and videos at the time of this arrest.

A search of the vehicle by FWC scientists found alligator blood traces in the bed of the truck.

The woman said she went with Daggett, another man and the man’s girlfriend to the construction site with a rifle in March, an officer wrote in the report.

She said the four of them drove around a canal until they found an alligator. Daggett shot the alligator and then handed her the spent rifle cartridge, the report states.

The two men went into the ditch to get the alligator, noticed it was still alive and shot it again. They then loaded it into the back of the truck.

Later on they all drove down the road toward the 16500 block of SW Conners Hwy. The men could be seen in the pictures and video cleaning and bagging two alligators, according to the report.

The woman told officers Daggett then drove to a bridge and threw the alligator carcasses off the bridge.

Daggett was released from the Palm Beach County Jail on Oct. 21 on $4,500 bond.

ARREST INFO:
Full Name: Donald Arthur Daggett
Aliases: Don Daggett, Donny Daggett, Donnie Daggett
Race: White
Gender: Male
Birthdate: 05/03/1979
Arrest Age:38
Date:10/21/2017
Time: 6:04 PM
Arresting Agency: Palm Beach Sheriff's Office
Charges
#1 CONSERVATION-ANIMALS - LVL4 KILL INJUR POSS GATOR OR EGG WO AUTHORITY
STATUTE: 379.409-8220
Bond: $4,500

PREVIOUS ARREST:
Palm City man accused of sexual cyber harassment
TC Palm - July 20, 2017

A 38-year-old man was arrested on a warrant Wednesday, less than a month after a woman complained he had posted sexually explicit pictures of her online, along with her address and phone number, according to a Martin County Sheriff’s Office affidavit.

Donald Arthur Daggett, whose permanent address is listed as being in the 4500 block of Southwest 83rd Street in Palm City, was charged with sexual cyber harassment, records show. He was released from the Martin County Jail on Wednesday after he posted a $5,000 bond.

The images were posted to two private pages on Facebook in late June and the woman notified deputies of the matter July 8, the affidavit said. Records of an email conversation between the two indicated Daggett was angry with the woman, it said.

(WPTV - Oct 23, 2017)

Florida: Jose Salazar, 18, accused of poaching animals... he gives hunters a bad name

Full Name: Jose Monroe Salazar
Residence Block: 6700 NW 27th Blvd, Jennings, Florida 32053
Gender: Male
Race: Hispanic
Arrest Age: 18
Arrest Date: 10/01/2017
Arrest Time: 6:57 AM
Arresting Agency: FLORIDA FISH & WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMM.
Location: Hamilton County, Florida
Charges
#1 CONSERVATION-ANIMALS
STATUTE: 379.404.1 (F M)
NOTES: TAKE KILL POSS DEER OR TURKEY CLOSED SEASON

Florida: Roger Sands, 36, arrested after being caught spotlighting deer

Full Name: Roger Dale Sands
Race: White
Gender: Male
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 180 lbs
Hair Color: BLN
Eye Color: BLU
Birthdate: 10/19/1980
Arrest Age:36
Arrest Date:09/29/2017
Arrest Time: 9:30 AM
Total Bond: $5658
Arrest Location:FOREST RD 14, Marion, Florida
Charges
#1 MOVING TRAFFIC VIOL-DRIVE WHILE LIC SUSP HABITUAL OFFENDER
STATUTE: 322.34-5 ( F)
BOND: $2000
NOTES: DWLSR HABITUAL

#2 CONSERVATION-ANIMALS-TAKE DEER OR TURKEY WITH GUN AND LIGHT
STATUTE: 379.404-1 ( M)
BOND: $500
NOTES: POSSESSION OF GUN AND LIGHT

#3 OUT-OF-COUNTY WARRANT-
STATUTE: 901.04 ( N)
BOND: $3158
NOTES: OUT-OF-COUNTY WARRANT-LAKE COUNTY-WRIT OF BODILY ATTACHMENT

Idaho: Poacher shoots and kills bull elk, leaves his body to rot

IDAHO -- A poacher shot and killed a bull elk on farm ground earlier this month near White Owl Butte, which is about 19 miles southeast of Rexburg.

Whoever shot the animal didn't harvest any of the animal's meat or its antlers.

“This is not hunting. This is wanton killing,” said Idaho Fish and Game Regional Conservation Educator official Greg Losinski.

The person shooting the elk was not a hunter, he said.

“When they do this, they are criminal. They are not hunters. That's an important distinction,” he said.

Fish and Game conservation officers investigated the incident and found the elk had been shot multiple times.

“More than one suspect was likely involved in the poaching,” Losinski said.

Located about 11 miles from Rexburg, White Owl Butte farm ground is a popular site for snowmobiling and antler hunting.

Losinski believes that someone may have seen something during the time the poacher shot the elk. He's asking the public's help in locating the person or persons responsible for the incident.

It was a resident who informed Fish and Game about the bull elk.

“It was reported. That's the way it works, and that's why we ask the public for assistance. We can't be everywhere,” he said.

If someone notices some suspicious behavior involving wildlife, Losinski asks them to take a picture and to report it. Pictures taken with smartphones can often provide the GPS coordinates.

“You can say, 'Hey, I saw this and want to let you know.' That way we can check it out,” he said.

This type of shooting takes away from Gem State residents who purchase hunting licenses and legally hunt the animals during designated hunting seasons.

“It hurts the residents and the citizens of Idaho,” Losinski said.

Fish and Game normally holds hunting season in the fall. Occasionally Fish and Game opens up temporary hunting to trim herds encroaching on ranchland.

“In the winter we have depredation hunts to help reduce conflicts between elk, deer, ranches, livestock and feed,” he said. “It's keeping wildlife away from haystacks. If you harvest an animal, you can keep it.”

Losinski didn't know the exact penalty the poacher faces in this case. If he turned himself in, Fish and Game would handle it. But if caught, the poacher could spend some time in court, pay a fine and possibly go behind bars.

“Depending on what the prosecutor and the judge decides, it can be hundreds of dollars or more," he said. "There can be jail time."

It's not likely that the incident was an accident.

“It would be hard for this to be a mistake,” Losinski said.

Anyone with any information about the crime is encouraged to call Fish and Game Sr. Conservation Officer Andrew Sorensen at 208-390-0632. Or they can call the Citizens Against Poaching (CAP) hotline 1-800-632-5999.  Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward.

(Idaho State Journal - April 5, 2017)

Spain: British expat’s dogs shot dead and her horse’s eyes gouged by vengeful gang of Spanish hunters after she refused to let them shoot on her land

SPAIN -- A British expat’s dogs were shot dead by rampaging gunmen in a sickening revenge attack in Spain.

The hunters massacred the dogs and gouged the eye of a horse out after creeping on to the property in the dead of night.

Locals believe the slayings were a part of a revenge attack because landowner Illona Mitchell refused to let them hunt on her land.

The 48-year-old left Britain in 2004 to live in Sierra de Baza in southern Spain after purchasing 173 hectares of land for £100,000.

She had initially allowed hunters to shoot pheasants, deer, wild board and rabbits because it is part of the country’s culture.

But as her rescue centre grew, the animal lover decided to seek a ban on hunting, which was granted in May last year.

Since then, she has been the victim of late-night visits to the home she shares with Spanish partner Isi Doro, 39, and 11-year-old daughter Ella.

The former restaurant manager, from Chester, told the Daily Mail, said: “I am sickened as to why someone would carry out such a cruel and barbaric attack on innocent, defenceless animals.

“As rescue dogs, they have already suffered mistreatment or at the very best have been ignored. And just when they reach a place of supposed sanctuary, they are made to suffer even more.”

She continued: “The only motive I can think of is hunters getting revenge. I recently stopped hunting on my land, and made this clear to all local hunting groups.

“It has led to me receiving harassment from local hunters calling at my house. They have also stopped me in the street, hurling insults and intimidating me. This happens several times a week.

“They even forged my signature on an official document, suggesting I was happy for them to hunt on my land.

“Others said they would carry on hunting regardless. But this is not going to drive me away. I appreciate I have a problem to deal with, but it’s not going to stop me caring for abandoned animals.”

The twisted hunters are believed to have shot the dogs with pistols hours after locals attended a parade to mark Three Kings Day, or the Epiphany.

Illona believes the horror attack had been planned for a night when the police would be busy elsewhere.

Pal Mandy Lewis and her husband found the slain bodies of the dogs when they arrived at the kennels the next morning.

Three crossbreeds – Dizzy, seven, Coco, two, and two-month-old Maisie – were dead after being shot in the head, but two others were still alive.

German shepherd Jack, five, had been blasted through the roof of the mouth. He died within half an hour of being taken to a vet.

Crossbreed Domingo, three, was shot in the side of the face and died the next morning. A sixth dog is missing.

Mandy, 44, said: “All of a sudden I heard my husband screaming, ‘They’re dead, they’re dead. The dogs are dead’.

“I quickly ran up to where he was. It’s the most horrific thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Our life here now feels a bit tainted. Some part of what we were all trying to achieve here has been lost.”

Police have now beefed up security in the area after telling Illona it was one of the worst attacks on animals they had seen.

Officers have questioned some hunters, but no arrests have been made.

(The Sun UK - Jan 23, 2017)