An Elkford woman is accusing her neighbour of shooting and killing her dogs when they entered his yard and killed his chickens.
Jen Bryant said her dog Raven was wearing a collar with her name and number when neighbour James Bonnell shot her.
“I know this because it’s in my closet in a bag covered in blood,” said Bryant.
In a Facebook post, Bryant alleged that her two black Labrador retrievers entered a neighbour's yard in Elkford on May 1 after her son accidentally left their gate open.
She said they killed Bonnell’s chickens. In response he wounded the two dogs before he drove them to the countryside and killed them.
Bryant said a concerned friend who followed Bonnell witnessed and photographed the shooting.
"[He] picked up our beloved fur babies and rather then call us, he proceeded to drive out of town to shoot them," she wrote in a Facebook post.
"He shot my dogs in the face while they sat pretty wagging their tails, having no idea what was going on."
In a prepared statement published by Global News, Bonnell said he came home at around 8:30 p.m. and found one of the dogs killing one of his chickens. After witnessing the attack he went into his house and got his “low velocity .22.”
“As the dog was chewing on the chicken, I shot it and it went down. I looked up and seen another dog coming around my camping trailer and it was growling at me. I shot it and it went down. I went inside to put the gun away. When I come back outside, to check on the dogs, they were gone from the yard. I went and got my gun again and went looking for the wounded dogs because I didn’t want them to suffer and I found them nearby. I put them into the truck and drove them a few kilometers out of town where I put them out of their misery as humanely as possible. My neighbour drove up where I put them and said he was going to report me. He did not say he knew [who the dogs belonged to]. I drove home and did a check of my yard. I found seven dead chickens in one coop, two dead ones in the yard and two missing. There were feathers everywhere. The dogs had torn into four of my pens, ripping heavy chicken wire, leaving teeth and claw marks.”
The Elk Valley RCMP confirmed they are no longer investigating the incident and have handed the case over to the B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
A puppy named Halo was donated to the family and though Bryant says nothing can replace her dogs, the new pet is helping with the healing process.
“Although the new pup won’t bring back Raven and Star who I miss everyday, I’m glad my kids are happy with her, she’s fitting in well.”
Elkford’s bylaws restrict residents from raising poultry and discharging firearms within the district.
District of Elkford CAO Curtis Helgesen said the town is awaiting the conclusion of the SPCA investigation before looking at any possible bylaw infractions.