Police are searching for a gunman who fatally shot a four year old dog in a community in Koh Samui, an island in the southern province of Surat Thani, on Monday, February 17.
A 35 year old Thai woman, Wiramaya, is seeking justice for her mixed Thai Bangkaew-Labrador dog, Lucky, who was shot dead on Monday.
The lifeless dog was found in Soi Ang Thong 6 on Koh Samui, with a bullet wound to the head.
The bullet was determined to have been fired from a .22 gun.
Wiramaya told Channel 7 that Lucky usually stayed at home and loved being in an air-conditioned room.
He would only leave the house in the morning for a walk and would return home on his own.
On the day of the incident, Lucky left the house in the morning but never came back.
Wiramaya searched for her dog and later learned from a neighbour that Lucky was lying dead in Soi Ang Thong 6. She expressed her grief and questioned why the gunman had to kill Lucky.
Wiramaya stated that if her dog had caused any trouble, the gunman should have addressed the matter directly with her instead of resorting to violence.
Wiramaya also mentioned that her daughter was deeply distressed by the loss of Lucky, as she had grown up with the dog and loved him dearly.
The girl has been crying constantly since the incident.
The Superintendent of Koh Samui Police Station, Kritniti Thongthip, told Channel 7 that the gunman is likely a local in the area.
Police will summon all residents in the area who possess .22 firearms for questioning.
Public opinion on the case is divided.
Some people expressed sympathy for Wiramaya’s family and condemned the gunman for such a cruel act.
Others have criticised Wiramaya for allowing her dog to roam freely in public, arguing that not everyone likes dogs and that unsupervised animals can cause trouble.
A similarly tragic incident involving a pet dog with the same name Lucky occurred in December last year in the southern province of Songkhla.
In that case, Lucky, a female Siberian Husky, ran away from her home and wandered around the community before being beaten to death by a Thai man named Boonlert.