A pitbull puppy was found on the side of a Lee Co. Highway suffering from a gunshot wound to the head, and died this afternoon at a vet clinic near Fort Madison.
It got many residents talking about Lee County’s stray dog policies. Lee County Sheriff Jim Sholl explained what their rules are….
“Lee County does not have a humane society or an animal control officer. So when we receive stray dog calls, our first attempt is to possibly contact someone who could rescue that dog for us. If not, Iowa Code allows that a dog be destroyed if its unlicensed and un-tagged. In other words, if it’s truly a stray, or if a dog might be vicious towards livestock or humans.”
He said his office did receive notice about the puppy that was shot in the face and they’re looking into it…
“That will be investigated because this could be an animal cruelty issue, if there wasn’t good reason [for shooting it]. Right now, we don’t even have a suspect to begin with, but our deputy will initiate the investigation and we’ll see where it leads us.”
Fort Madison Police Chief Bruce Niggemeyer wants residents to know that those rules are differnt in town. They first attempt the find the owner. If they cannot get a hold of anyone, they will take the animal to Dr. Shannon who is located just outside of Fort Madison. It may then end up at PAW until it can be reunited with it’s owner or adopted.
