Dogs shot and dragged away

Roy Ellis and partner Rachel Watson just want the bodies of their dogs Chevy (top right) and Toby returned so they can bury them at home. Main photo / Christine Cornege

Police are trying to locate the bodies of two pet dogs after their distraught owner found blood, shotgun casings and one of their collars in the middle of the road.

They believe the dogs were accidently hit by a car and shot by the driver.

But no motorist has come forward and the driver could face charges for not reporting the incident.

Chevy, a 10-year-old foxy-Labrador cross and Toby, an 8-year-old boxer, were asleep in their kennels at Rachel Watson and partner Roy Ellis' Morrinsville home when they went to bed about 11pm on Friday.

When the pair awoke on Saturday morning the dogs were missing.

Ms Watson left her Quine Rd lifestyle block to look for her pets. About 2km down the road she found pools of blood and smeared blood indicating the dogs' bodies had been dragged.

There were two shotgun casings among the blood.

Ms Watson also found Toby's leather collar nearby which was split in half with several pellet holes in it.

Sergeant Vic Sneddon, of the Morrinsville police, said the collar and casings were being fingerprinted and police had gone door to door speaking to neighbours.

He believes the dogs may have been hurt by a car and that someone put them down "out of concern for their well-being".

It was unlikely the animals had been attacking stock because of the type of breed they were and they wouldn't have been stolen to be used as hunting dogs, Mr Sneddon said.

Dog control had not received complaints about the animals before.

"Hopefully if somebody in the farming community has hit these dogs and put them down, thrown them on the back of the ute and dumped them, then at least they'll come back and see the owners and say 'Oh look sorry I didn't think about it at the time'.

"So at least they can get some closure.

"These animals are clearly domestic animals, they had collars on with council registrations."

A person who damages someone's property (including animals) and fails to report the incident to the owner can be charged and fined up to $5000 under the Land Transport Act.

Ms Watson said the dogs occasionally left the property but were never away for long.

They were harmless and not intimidating so a person wouldn't have needed to protect themselves or their stock, Ms Watson said.

The couple had a horse, sheep and cats which got along with the two dogs.

"Chevy would have walked straight up to the gun thinking it was a toy and Toby would have thought, 'Oh, we're going possum hunting'."

She said she had no idea who would have shot the dogs.

The couple have put up posters around Morrinsville pleading with locals for information on the dogs' whereabouts and had written a letter to the editor of the local newspaper.

"What type of human being could shoot two pet dogs at point blank range using a shotgun?" they asked.

"I hope this haunts you till your dying day as we now have to live without our treasured best friends."

Mr Ellis said he just wanted the dogs' bodies back so they could bury them at home.