CARBON COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) — A dog with multiple gunshot wounds to the head was rescued in Carbon County nearly two weeks ago and nurtured back to life. County authorities say they are working to track down the person who shot and abandoned him.
Carbon County Sheriff Jeff Wood told ABC4.com that the incident is “absolutely a criminal case” and officers are actively searching for the suspect.
The woman who rescued the dog, Tanner Tamllos, called authorities after finding him wounded on the side of the road. Wood said investigators then contacted the last known owner of the dog who allegedly said he had given the dog to an unknown person in a Walmart parking lot and he was no longer in his possession.
Wood said they are now following a few leads. He said it is unknown at this time why or how the owner previously transferred the dog to the person in the parking lot.
When Tamllos found the dog, now named “BluJay,” she said he appeared malnourished and wounded. She later learned from doctors that he had been shot through his head and the two bullets were still lodged inside him. Thanks to medical professionals and donations from people in the community and worldwide, BluJay received several surgeries and is now staying with a family in Carbon County.
While he survived the shooting, his injuries left him fully blind. Tamllos said he is eating and recovering well, but it is still too soon to know whether his health will decline in the future.
According to Utah Code, abandoning, injuring or neglecting an animal is considered animal cruelty and ranges in degrees of severity.
If an individual intentionally or knowingly abandons, injures or neglects an animal, it is considered a class B misdemeanor. If a person tortures, poisons or kills an animal, it is considered aggravated animal cruelty and can be prosecuted as a class A misdemeanor.
Knowingly or intentionally torturing an animal is the only case in which animal cruelty could be considered a third-degree felony. Torture is defined as “inflicting extreme physical pain to an animal in an especially heinous, atrocious, cruel, or exceptionally depraved manner.”
In Utah, a class B misdemeanor can be punished by jail time, a fine, or both. Those convicted of a class B misdemeanor could face up to six months in jail and up to $1,000 in fines.
A third-degree felony, on the other hand, can be punished with imprisonment, a fine, or both. Imprisonment can be anywhere between zero and five years and fines can be up to $5,000.
