LONG BEACH, Long Island (WABC) -- A Long Island woman is devastated after her beloved dog was killed, apparently shot with a BB gun.
It happened Monday afternoon on East Hudson Street in Long Beach.
"We're just so sad," owner Beth Cohen said. "We're so sad."
Cohen says an upstairs neighbor let her dachshund Buddy out into her gated backyard, as usual, but minutes later found him in a pool of blood.
"There's nothing that can bring him back, and our family is so heartbroken," she said. "But we'd like to know what happened. We'd like some answers. We'd like to know who could do this to a defenseless animal."
Police released veterinarian X-rays that show the dog had been shot in the heart with a small pellet believed to be a BB.
"It's certainly suspicious that this was something done intentionally," Dr. Lee Gefland said. "The way the wound was, was right over the side of the dog, not from the top. This was a small dog, so this was not something that was shot over the fence. It had to be something that was shot directly into the side of the dog."
Police marked two small holes in the bottom of the fencing around the backyard, and they've been searching for surveillance video.
They are now working to determine if this was a sick prank or someone horsing around, or if it was an intentional crime.
Long Beach detectives and the Animal Crimes Unit are investigating, and anyone with information is urged to call 516-705-7320.
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