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Mostly Cloudy Dog allegedly killed with BB gun in Long Beach
Local family’s dachshund may have been shot with pellet
A dog was pronounced dead by a local veterinarian after it was found bleeding from a possible pellet shot in a backyard in Long Beach on Monday.
The dog — a brown, short-haired, 8-year-old dachshund named Buddy — belonged to resident Beth Cohen and her family.
Cohen told the Herald that a neighbor who lives upstairs in the two-family home on East Hudson Street occasionally watched the dog while her family was at work. He let Buddy out in the family’s fenced in backyard on Monday.
When the neighbor returned to check on Buddy, he found the dog lying in a pool of blood, Cohen said. The neighbor immediately called Cohen’s husband, Andrew, who directed the neighbor to take the dog to a local veterinarian. The dog died moments before arriving at the veterinarian’s office.
“We were all so heartbreaking about Buddy’s death.” Beth said. “Buddy was the sweetest dog. He loved to be with his people. The house feels empty and quiet without him.”
Officials say the veterinarian’s office performed X-rays and determined that a small round object was lodged in the dog’s heart.
Long Beach Police Department spokesman Sgt. Brett Curtis said that the object is believed to be a pellet from a BB gun, but emphasized officials cannot confirm it until a necropsy is conducted on Buddy. Curtis said the investigation is ongoing.
The incident drew outrage from people in the community, who voiced their concerns on Facebook and expressed their support for the family.
“This is just heartbreaking. I’m so sorry,” Kathleen Mary wrote on Facebook. “This should be shared on other L.B. groups.”
Buddy was rescued from the North Shore Animal League two weeks before Hurricane Sandy hit Long Beach in 2012, according to Allison Cohen, Beth’s daughter.
“Every week he looked at us and he knew that we rescued him,” Allison Cohen said.
Long Beach police and the Nassau County District Attorney’s Animal Crimes Unit are currently investigating the incident. They are requesting that anyone with information contact Long Beach detectives at (516) 705-7320.
