Local service dog shot and injured

SHOSHONE, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Early in the morning, around 7:30 a.m., Dannie Emerick called for her service dog, Simeon. She spotted him at a mail box right across the street. It was unusual, as Simeon never goes past their gate.

Emerick noticed he was slumped over, and when he came to her, he was skulking. She knew something was wrong.

“I rushed him to his vet at Sun Valley Animal Center, who found a bullet wound,” Emerick said.

Simeon was rushed into surgery, where after four hours, surgeons removed a pellet. Investigators believe the pellet may have come from an air rifle that hit Simeon with force of a .22 caliber bullet, doing serious damage.

“So it nicked his bladder. It nicked his lower bowel, then went through his jejunum, which is up higher, and then came to rest between his spleen and his liver,” Emerick explained.

Emerick said if they hadn’t gotten Simeon to the vet in time, he would have died. She said Simeon’s vet bills are piling up. However, a fundraiser has been launched by Hiatus Ranch, the place that trained Simeon. Emerick’s grateful for the donations, which are right around $4,000 at this point. While Simeon is moving around, Emerick is concerned with his mental state. Simeon helps Emerick with her PTSD, but after the incident, he just hasn’t been the same.

“Well he’s been super needy for one, but he also hasn’t been responding to his normal commands in an appropriate time,” Emerick said.

It means he has been slow at the commands, following them, but delayed. Emerick’s hoping during his recovery he’ll be able to get back into shape for that.

Emerick added that this isn’t the first time a dog has been shot in the area, as two more previously had also been shot. She thinks this was no accident.

The GoFundMe is still collecting donations, and Emerick says a neighbor is offering a $5,000 reward to anyone with information leading to the arrest and charge of the person who shot Simeon. Anyone with information can reach out to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office at (208) 886-2250.

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