SWANZEY, N.H. — A dog that survived a gunshot to the leg in February had to be euthanized Friday after his personality changed, according to his owner, Philip M. Sherrick Sr.
Dozer, a 7-year-old Siberian husky, was shot Feb. 10 in the right hind leg while sleeping outside Sherrick’s home on Marcy Hill Road.
Sherrick, who was in his garage at the time, heard shots and Dozer whining. He came running out to see a man walking down his driveway carrying a gun, he said.
Nearby, Dozer was bleeding heavily from a 3-inch hole in the leg, according to Swanzey police. The leg later was amputated.
Though Dozer was recovering physically since the shooting, Sherrick said, the dog’s easygoing nature had changed. He was growling more, and when Sherrick took him to the veterinarian, she recommended putting him down before he got worse.
“The vets said he was like Jekyll and Hyde, and it’s all over this trauma of being shot,” Sherrick said.
“I knew he wasn’t the same dog.”
Sherrick’s next-door neighbor, Michael A. Bailey, 47, was arrested Feb. 15 and charged with the shooting. He was released from the Cheshire County jail after posting $5,000 bail in late February. Bail initially was set at $25,000. Under the conditions of his bail, he is not allowed to contact Sherrick.
In March, Bailey was indicted on two counts of felony reckless conduct with a deadly weapon and one count of cruelty to animals.
Sherrick has no plans to replace Dozer, whom he got as a 6-week-old puppy.
“I’m not going to have my heart broken again.”
Gunshot-surviving dog put to death
