05/05/2026
I’m posting with a very heavy heart today. On Friday May 1st, Rio (black dog) & Rudy (brown dog) decided to leave our property while chasing a fox. We had trained them not to leave the farm but temptation was too great. At 8:30pm, we heard them both barking & we ran into the fields calling for them. Then we heard a gun shot, Rudy let out a blood curdling scream, then there was silence. Rio ran past us on the way back to the house as I screamed until my voice gave out. In the darkness, we had no way of finding Rudy/his body. So we called all of our neighbors in that area, one went out in the dark to look for us. It was soul crushing. We knew it was a possibility if they left the property but we didn’t expect to hear him get killed.
The next morning (Saturday) we had to get up early & head out for our 50K run. I was frantically texting neighbors & coordinating searches in between legs of our run. No buzzards ever showed up, that means the shooter hid the body. We filed a police report on Sunday.
Let me be clear, I take full responsibility for my dogs leaving the property. I just want to bury my son. If it was a neighbor, we aren’t going to press charges. But if it was a poacher that was trespassing then we will. We are y mad, we just want closure. If you know anything about Rudy getting killed, please let us know. I just want to bury my baby & say goodbye to him.
Please pray for us, especially Rio. They were pair bonded & she is not doing well by herself.
