A grieving family is searching for answers after they say their beloved pet was shot and killed in their own backyard. It happened last Saturday at a home on the 400 block of Leverington Avenue in Roxborough.
Megan Gambone says her 55-pound lab-mix named “Mr. Dogg” was playing in the family’s fenced-in yard around 5:30 p.m. Gambone, her daughter, a family friend and his children were inside the living room when she claims she heard a “pop” sound from the backyard.
“I ran to my yard to make sure my dog was okay,” said Gambone. “My dog looked back towards me and I saw that he had a bad wound on his side, and it was bleeding. I started screaming ‘somebody shot my dog!’”
The family rushed Mr. Dogg to Penn Vet Hospital. His wound was so severe however that they decided to put him down.
“The vet ran some x-rays and they showed us the bullet,” said Gambone. “Based on their experience it was probably a 22 caliber.”
Other dog owners who live in the area are on edge as police continue to search for the killer.
“It makes me uneasy,” said Gambone’s neighbor Matt Consoll. “Someone’s got a loose cannon.”
Gambone says no one has ever complained about her dog and she can’t understand why someone would want to harm him.
“It angers me because they should have come to me, for me to do something about my dog,” said Gambone. “He didn’t deserve it.”
If you have any information on this incident, please call Philadelphia Police.
