EVANSVILLE — Along a rural stretch of two-lane road in Vanderburgh County, an unidentified person riddled a dog with birdshot and left the pup fighting for its life as it lay in a ditch Thursday afternoon, law enforcement officials said.
The dog, who was about 2 years old and went by the affectionate name Cheeto, received treatment at a nearby animal hospital, but the Golden-Pyrenees mix later succumbed to his injuries, owners Amber and Cory Seib told the Courier & Press.
With the support of a tight-knit community behind them, the Seibs are now offering a $3,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest in Cheeto’s death. And his death, they said, was no accident: “It was intentional.”
“People are dog people because of the unconditional love,” Cory said. “My poor daughter just collapsed once she got the news. And that’s the hardest part. It’s one thing for adults … But my daughter didn’t deserve to have to deal with that.
The Seibs last saw Cheeto Thursday morning. He was known as a “country dog” who roamed around the Seibs’ 10 acres and the surrounding fields. Locals knew Cheeto as the friendly neighborhood pet. When Cory worked from his in-house office, he’d often look out the window to see Amber and Cheeto lying down in the grass together, basking in the sun.
But sometime between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, Cheeto suffered a gunshot wound. X-rays would later show multiple birdshot pellets, a type of shotgun ammunition, penetrated the rear portion of his body.
The Seibs were alerted to Cheeto’s injuries when a neighbor found him gravely wounded in a ditch in the 8500 block of West Boonville-New Harmony Road. Cheeto’s dog tag − which included his owners’ contact information − was missing.
But Cheeto was “famous” around the neighborhood, the family said, and locals quickly got animal control in touch with the Seibs.
“He was alive when he was discovered; he was breathing fine but a little heavy,” Cory said. “Probably in shock, probably lost a lot of blood, but we got him to the vet alive, which in our mind was huge.”
At the animal hospital, vets cleaned up Cheeto’s wounds, performed X-rays and, according to the family, sent him home with pain medication. The Seibs said they thought he would pull through, but about 12 hours later, Cheeto passed away at home.
“My wife was waking up to check on him, and he wasn’t breathing anymore,” Cory recalled. “He had gotten up, and kind of moved around the garage − blood was everywhere − and he kind of just laid down and went.”
The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the shooting, according to Sheriff Noah Robinson. The Seibs said they’d spoken with a detective, but so far, leads were few and far between.
“This appears to me to be, you know, a willful act that was done out of cruelty,” Robinson told the Courier & Press Monday afternoon. “And I’d like to find that person responsible.”
Robinson could not confirm if a suspect removed Cheeto’s dog tag after the shooting in an effort to delay his identification, or if the tag had simply fallen off. He said detectives would canvas the surrounding area for any video footage or other evidence that could place a vehicle or person in the area.
So far, at least publicly, the VCSO has not identified any suspects or persons of interest.
“I feel like we’re left with the only possibility being someone talks,” Cory said.
The family has been taken aback by an outpouring of community support, much of it from nearby St. Wendel, though Cory said news of Cheeto’s death quickly spread across social media. A Facebook post noting the $3,000 reward was shared more than 1,700 times in just one day and elicited hundreds of comments.
Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to contact the VCSO at 812-421-6297, and callers can remain anonymous.
“I know everybody probably says this, but we really felt like he was one of the guys, in terms of just the most loving, friendly dog you can ask for,” Cory said. “He will definitely be missed.”
Houston Harwood can be contacted at houston.harwood@courierpress.com