Police are investigating the Tuesday death of a dog on trails behind a dog park in Thomaston as a hunting-related incident.
The incident occurred around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, when the dog was being walked with another dog by an owner’s friend on trails in the wooded area behind a park used primarily for dogs in Thomaston, Thomaston Police Chief Tim Hoppe said.
The 5.5-year-old border collie mix named Peppermint was remembered Thursday by her owner, Amy Eesley Joy of Warren, as a smart and happy dog ― the type of pet that forever leaves an imprint on a family.
“It’s just like losing a family member,” Joy said. “Sometimes one [pet] just stands out. You know? Like there will never be another [dog] like that, and that is how I feel about Peppermint.”
Peppermint died while walking with a friend of Joy’s who took Peppermint out with her own dog on a weekly basis because the two dogs got along well. The Thomaston dog park was one of many locations the friend would take the dogs for these excursions, Joy said.
The dogs were off their leashes on the trails, scampering ahead of the woman walking them, Hoppe said. The woman lost sight of the dogs for a couple of minutes, and when her own dog came back alone whimpering, she grew concerned about Peppermint, Joy said.
After taking her own dog back to the car, she went to look for Peppermint and found the dog lying motionless next to a tree and called her husband. The dog was found with a puncture wound that went right through the dog’s chest, Joy said.
“She called me from the trail and she was so broken up. She was hysterical. My heart is actually with her,” Joy said. “She did nothing wrong, but she carries that guilt on her conscience.”
Joy said her friend did not recall hearing any gunshots or disturbances around the time of the incident.
After Joy’s friend brought Peppermint back to her home in Warren, the dog was taken to the veterinarian so an official report could be completed. Thomaston police were called around noon on Tuesday.
Both Joy’s husband and a veterinarian who checked Peppermint after she died said the wound appeared to be from an arrow, Hoppe said.
Police searched the trail area where the dog died, but did not find an arrow.
The Maine Warden Service is working with Thomaston police on the investigation. Hoppe said there are no leads at this point in the investigation but that more interviews are being conducted.
Following the incident, Hoppe warned that the area behind the dog park is a hunting area, and if people are going to be out there with their dogs, it is important that they wear orange.
While Joy said she obviously can’t get her dog back, she hopes this incident results in the trails behind the dog park being posted as a no-hunting area.
Joy and her family are offering a $1,000 reward to anyone who provides information that would lead to an arrest or conviction if the investigation yields criminal charges
“I would like to see justice done, especially if it was done intentionally,” she said.