Shooters of dog hunted

By ANTHONY CARDINALE
News Staff Reporter / Buffalo News

Jeff Burg wants to find the hunters who shot his dog on Saturday after they had shot a deer near his family’s property in the Town of Lockport. One of the hunters said he mistook the spotted 75-pound dog for a coyote...

The two hunters then departed, leaving behind the deer they had shot, along with the dog with its spine severed by a deer slug. The dog had to be put down.

“Obviously, they were scared, so they just split,” said Burg, 27, who lives with his wife in the City of Lockport. “If you’re going to be man enough to shoot a dog, be man enough to own up to it - be man enough to help me out in my dog’s time of need.”

Riley was a 1 1/2-year-old German short-haired pointer. He was brown and white and was wearing a bright orange collar.

Burg said he had taken Riley out for a walk on the family’s 40-acre property.
“This guy shot him from about 50 feet away,” Burg said. Burg said he ran up to the man who had shot his dog and swore at him.

“Oh, man, I’m so sorry,” Burg quoted the man. “I thought he was a coyote!”
“He doesn’t look like a coyote,” Burg replied. “He’s twice the size of a coyote. I’ve never seen a coyote with an orange collar.”

Burg then ran to take care of Riley, and the men disappeared.
The incident is under investigation by the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, 438-3393.