Warren County sheriff’s office investigates after dog found shot with arrow

WARREN COUNTY, Mo. (First Alert 4) - The Warren County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of a dog that was found shot with an arrow on a family’s property near Highway 47, south of Warrenton.

The family found their dog, Zeus, dead on the property. Zeus was a year-and-a-half-old Great Pyrenees.

Dog went missing for 2 weeks

Owner Clay Lively said Zeus went missing for two weeks. He said his wife found the dog Tuesday on the back of the property with an arrow in his side.

Lively described Zeus as a family pet and a protector.

“He was the sweetest dog. Just a gentle giant,” Lively said. “Just a big old teddy bear really.”

“We have chickens and animals on our property, so he’s the kind of guardian dog if you will,” Lively said. “We’ve had problems with foxes in the past, so he does well with barking those animals away.”

“It was very upsetting, very sad. He’s just too good of a dog for that to happen to,” Lively said.

Investigation

It is currently the bow hunting portion of deer season in Missouri, and a lot of hunting takes place in the area. Asked whether the dog could have been mistaken for a deer, Lively said:

“I know it’s bow season right now but if my dog was tan or brown or something of the sort I could see. But a big old white polar bear looking dog, there’s no mistake. It was intentional. And very sad.”

The arrow is being sent to a Highway Patrol crime lab to be tested for fingerprints and DNA.

“I have good confidence in the sheriff’s department that they’re doing as much as they can hopefully figure out something for us as well,” Lively said.

Animal cruelty task force

Ella Frank is the director of the Humane Society of Missouri’s Animal Cruelty Task Force.

“An individual might be surprised how much abuse and neglect is there,” Frank said.

In September, the task force removed 70 abused and neglected animals from a property in Lawrence County. Investigators responded after getting calls from the community.

“If they see something, they’re saying something and that’s what’s important,” Frank said. “So, I’m not sure if there’s more abuse or less abuse. But I think people are becoming comfortable, you know talking about what they’re seeing and reporting it.”

According to the Humane Society, in the last 12 months the task force traveled 348,591 miles responding to 8,503 cases of abuse or neglect involving 24,809 animals.

Owner asks for person responsible to come forward

Lively is calling on the person who killed Zeus to come forward.

“We forgive you, accidents happen, stuff happens. People make poor decisions but just didn’t deserve it,” Lively said.

Lively is asking anyone who may know who killed the dog to speak with Warren County investigators.

The Humane Society of Missouri’s Animal Cruelty Task Force accepts reports of abuse and neglect on its hotline, 314-647-4400, or through a form online.