An Anne Arundel County woman claims a neighbor shot her dog. Now she's demanding answers.
An Anne Arundel County woman is demanding answers after claiming that a neighbor shot her dog, mistaking it for a coyote.
Shannon Wood told WJZ that a video circulating on Facebook shows the moments before her 1-year-old Belgian Malinois, Maisie, was shot.
"I can't think, I can't work. I just don't even know, I don't understand it," Wood said.
The video shows Maisie on the side of a rural road while people behind the camera are heard shouting, "There's a coyote out here," and "Where's the shotty at, we'll drop it."
Wood said Maisie escaped from their yard in Davidsonville Sunday night. She said she and her family searched high and low, posted her picture all over social media and even hired a drone pilot to help them search the woods.
As the hours turned into days, there was still no sign of Maisie until just after 8 p.m. on Monday, when Wood received a message from her friend.
"She said, 'Hey, my friend saw your dog, and she sent me the video,'" Wood said. "We ran over there."
Wood said she and her husband rushed to the neighbor's property where the video was taken, less than a mile from their house, and spoke with them.
WJZ is not naming the neighbors as no criminal charges have been filed.
"They said, 'Yea, they saw her, but she was chased by a coyote and ran up the road,'" Wood said.
Wood and her family kept searching. But later that night, Wood said one of the people from the video called and confessed that their relative shot Maisie, claiming it was because they thought she was a coyote.
"My worry at that point was she was hurt, so I said, please tell me, and they said – they confirmed – they know she's dead," Wood told WJZ.
Wood said her 1-year-old Belgian Malinois was friendly and was training to be a service dog. She said her family, along with their two other dogs, are devastated.
"I really believed that we'd find her," said Wood. "She wasn't far from home, she was right there, and I just didn't believe anybody would shoot her. You know, if you thought she was a threat, and you had your kids, or you thought she was a coyote, call 911. It's crazy."
Wood and her family reported the incident to Anne Arundel County Police. A spokesperson for the department said officers are investigating.
Wood said she needs answers, and she wants the closure of laying her beloved dog to rest.
"I've, over and over, asked to have her body, but they say that it's gone," said Wood. "It just disappeared."
WJZ reached out to the neighbors, but has not yet received a response.
