A family in Missouri is mourning the loss of their 18-month-old Great Pyrenees, Zeus, who was found dead on their property with an arrow lodged in his side. The incident occurred near Highway 47, south of Warrenton, and the dog had been missing for two days before being discovered on Tuesday.
Zeus's owners, Emma and Clay Lively, described him as a "gentle giant" and a guardian dog who protected their farm animals from predators like foxes. "He never wandered far from his chickens or the house," Emma Lively shared in a Facebook post. She expressed devastation and anger over the "awful thing to endure."
The owners believe the shooting was intentional. "If my dog was tan or brown or something of the sort, I could see. But a big old white polar bear-looking dog, there’s no mistake. It was intentional. And very sad," Clay Lively stated. He noted that the area is a popular hunting spot and it is currently bow-hunting season in Missouri.
The arrow has been submitted to a Highway Patrol crime lab for fingerprint and DNA analysis in an effort to identify a suspect. The Warren County Sheriff's Office and Missouri State Highway Patrol were contacted for information regarding the ongoing investigation. According to the Humane Society of Missouri, the state handles thousands of animal abuse and neglect cases annually, with their task force resolving 8,503 cases involving over 24,000 animals in the last 12 months.