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Gilbert family raising questions after puppy is shot and killed

Posted at 10:21 PM, Jul 19, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-20 10:35:00-04

A Gilbert family is grieving after their beloved puppy was shot and killed by a neighbor during an overnight incident.

“Buddy was a good dog, and he would never hurt anyone, so it just makes me question what exactly happened,” said a tearful Andrea Juvera.  

Juvera and her family now only have memories of their family pup.  

“This is Buddy in the backyard, anytime you came out he’d roll on his back so you could pet him,” said Juvera pointing to a picture of the one-and-a-half-year-old Saint Bernard on its back. 

Last Thursday, both Buddy and his two-year-old companion Daisy, escaped Juvera’s yard in the middle of the night. The family received the devastating news the next day. 

“The good news was Daisy was at the police station, but Buddy was dead, and Buddy, I thought he was going to say he was hit by a car,” said Juvera. 

Shocked, they demanded more answers. 

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Officers told them Buddy had found his way into the front yard of a nearby home. 

“The guy thought there was a burglar, so he walked outside with a shotgun,” said Juvera. 

According to the police report, Buddy growled and charged. 

“I mean if a dog's charging at you, you would think you would shoot head-on,” said Juvera. 

It turns out, Buddy was shot in the side. 

The community, who knew the dog as a gentle giant, is now outraged; even posting warning signs around the man's home. 

“Like I said, Buddy was our family,” said Juvera.  

Just a mile away back in February, a German Shepard was also shot and killed after escaping a yard and charging this man while walking his two dogs. 

“I wish I would have come down an hour later or even twenty minutes later and seen that they were gone and would have been looking for them, that night, it’s just the biggest regret I have,” said Juvera. 

The man was not charged for killing buddy as its not against the law to defend yourself if you feel your life is threatened but he did get charged with discharging a firearm within city limits. 

Now Buddy's family wants everyone to remember to secure their gates, and to keep their dogs on leashes whenever in public to avoid the pain they’re now suffering.  

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