Dog left for dead in Roosevelt brings light to a widespread issue

SALT LAKE CITY — A dog presumably left for dead in Roosevelt is recovering after shrapnel was found throughout his body. Many rescuers say this incident should bring light to a widespread issue regarding violence against dogs.  

Sarah Later, Executive Director of Great Pyrenees Rescue Resources Utah Montana, says Roosevelt Shelter contacted them about Ranger the dog. 

“We got him pulled, we could see his teeth were really beat up and broken on one side. He had lots of injuries on his face. They thought he’d possibly been attacked by a coyote, but once he went in and they did x-rays… They could see the shrapnel everywhere. It was all over his face, and his skull and his gums and his tongue,” she described.

He also had shrapnel elsewhere in his body, which they believe was buckshot. 

He was in essence “shot and left to suffer,” Later said. 

A widespread problem in the ranching community

Later believes Ranger was a livestock guardian dog. And an instance like this isn’t unusual in Utah, as there are no animal cruelty laws that protect livestock guardian dogs like Ranger, Later said.

“Every year, we have at least four very severe cases, and probably another 10 to 20 other cases that are bad, just not as severe,” Later said. “These dogs get left when they pull the sheep off the mountain, they abandon them up in the mountains or in the desert. So they’re staved, usually full of parasites and worms, and injured from just trying to fend for themselves.”

There is a specific law at play that influences these dogs’ wellbeing, Later said. That bill is HB 166. 

“If you find an injured dog… If you pick them up and get them help you will be charged with a felony. Most of the public does not know that.” 

Later says the bill criminalizes helping a livestock guardian dog that belongs to a rancher. 

“They are property of the ranchers, they take it pretty seriously when one of their dogs disappears,” she said.

In regards to this issue the bill itself states that it’s illegal to unlawfully take an animal. The bill also stipulates that a livestock guardian dog is “presumed to belong to an owner of the livestock with which the livestock guardian dog was living at the time of an alleged violation.” 

It also prohibits injuring, “physically alter(ing),” or causing the death of a livestock guardian dog without the permission of the owner of the dog. 

What to do when you come across an injured livestock dog

“Most shelters know to reach out to us if somebody turns in a dog like this… We will pay for them to be rehabbed, get them into a foster home… Try to get them adopted out to a good home,” Later said. 

She said if you find an injured dog, be careful about picking them up. But she says they want people to get in touch with her organization, since they’ve been trained to offer help to the dogs in a legal manner. 

“We would appreciate it if people would document it and get in touch with us,” she said. 

Ultimately, Later wants people to talk about this issue, so they can “get these laws changed and protect these dogs.” 

What’s next for Ranger

The good news in this case is that while Ranger has a lot of recovery ahead, he’s most likely going to be okay. 

“[He] ended up losing eight teeth, [and we] couldn’t pull out all the shrapnel,” Later said. 

However, he’s currently recovering in a foster home, and “already has an adopter that’s wanting to adopt him.”