A dog that died at the town forest in Winchester, Massachusetts, likely fell on a stick, fatally wounding itself, a necropsy found, contradicting initial reports that the dog was shot.
Winchester police said they received a call around 6:30 p.m. Monday for a dog that had been shot and killed in the town forest off Sussex Road. When they arrived, officers spoke with the dog's owner, who told police he was walking his dog off-leash when he heard a gunshot and then found that his dog had been shot.
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While speaking with a concerned neighbor, the dog's owner said they heard a second gunshot in the distance, about 15-20 minutes after the original shot.
However, a vet took the body of the Australian Shepherd overnight and noticed there was no exit wound. According to the town's police chief, a necropsy found a piece of stick embedded in the dog's lung. X-rays further confirmed there was no metal in the animal's body, thus officials believe the dog was impaled on a stick, causing a fatal injury.
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The report of a potential shooting set off a police investigation in the area Tuesday. Massachusetts State Police were also called in to assist with a ballistics K9.
