A hunter shot a therapy dog ‘point blank’ in front of its distraught owner after he ‘mistook the rare Finnish breed for a wolf’.
Valley Calderoni of Squamish, British Columbia, was out walking with her dog Kaoru – a therapy animal for kids with autism – when she heard a gunshot and looked round to see her pet covered in blood.
‘All I can see is my dog getting shot — her face, her eyes looking at me with absolute disbelief,’ the stunned owner told the Star Telegram.
Valley Calderoni of Squamish, British Columbia, was out walking with her dog Kaoru (pictuerd with Calderoni) when her pet was shot dead
Calderoni claims Kaoru (pictured) was shot at ‘point blank’ range by the hunter
When she looked up, she saw a hunter with his gun.
Police believe the man may have mistaken Kaoru – a rare Finnish breed called a Tamaskan which were bred to look like a wolf – as a wild wolf. They say he was around 20ft away from the therapy dog when he opened fire.
Calderoni insists the dog had been shot at ‘point blank range.’
The British Columbia government allow wolf hunting, with certain restrictions, as a form of population control.
Kaoru (pictured with an unknown child) was a therapy animal for kids with autism in Squamish, British Columbia
Police believe the man may have mistaken Kaoru – a rare Finnish breed called a Tamaskan – for a wolf which are legal to hunt in the area
The Conservation Service has already spoken with the hunter who was ‘completely cooperative with the investigation,’ officer Kent Popjes said.
‘It appears to be an error in judgment.’
It’s unclear if any charges will be filed against the hunter.
Calderoni says she’s heartbroken to lose Kaoru, who she raised since adopting her as a traumatized puppy.
After thousands of hours of training, Kaoru, who ready to work as a therapy dog at Canine Valley, the rehabilitation center where Calderoni works.
On Facebook, Calderon described ‘the intense pain’ she felt at losing her faithful pet.
Calderon described ‘the intense pain’ she felt at losing her faithful pet and says she’s speaking out to make sure hunters don’t make the same mistake
‘I never cried so hard in my life,’ she said. ‘I was faint; I could not breathe. The amount of pain I feel should never be experienced by anyone, ever, for any reason.’
‘A hunter, a trophy hunter killed my dog. What kind of human can look in a scope at such beautiful creature and murder it?
‘This man took my dog’s life because he thought she was a wolf surrounded by seven other dogs and 10 feet away from my teammate and me. We could have died.’
Calderoni said she’s speaking out to make sure hunters don’t make the same mistake.
‘I don’t want anyone to go through the pain of watching your soulmate die in front of you,’ she said.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help train another therapy dog, and to campaign to extend the current No Hunting & No Shoot Zone from Squamish to Whistler.