On Oct. 14, Mike and Gloria Nixon-John’s two-year-old shepherd-mix collapsed and died at the door of their rural Oxford home after being shot with an arrow.
‘It was near dark,? Gloria said. ‘My husband let Sammy and two of our other dogs out for their nightly rounds on the property.?
‘Ten minutes after the dogs were outside I heard my husband scream ‘Oh no Sammy!? ? ‘Someone shot Sammy,?? she said.
When she realized what happened, Nixon-John jumped in the car to search the area for near the house. Immediately, she saw someone in a truck pulling out of a lane leading to some vacant land behind their home.
Oakland County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Schmitzerle said deputies searched the area and found a trail of blood leading to a hunting blind on the vacant property behind the Nixon-John’s home. Near the blind was a broad-head arrow and several other blinds were set up throughout the vacant property.
‘I’m a dog lover and this bugged me,? said Schmitzerle, adding he’s been to the Nixon-John’s house before on hunting complaints.
‘They are nice people and Sammy was a nice dog,? said Schmitzerle. ‘I’m a hunter, if you shoot, why not track it??
Whether it was a carelessness shot or a calculated one, Schmitzerle said either pretext is considered a felony offense by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
‘The DNR is explicit ? killing an animal is a felony, and cruelty to an animal is a felony,? said Schmitzerle.
Deputies confiscated the broad-head arrow and Schmitzerle said the department will question the vacant property’s owners, who live in Troy, to try and match up the arrow.
Oxford veterinarian Cathy Theisen said typically one pet per year is shot during hunting season in Oxford. She strongly reminds hunters not to shoot at anything unless they have a clear idea of what it is.
‘It’s imperative to know that movement at dusk does not mean it’s a deer,? Theisan said.
As animal rescuers, Nixon-John said she and her husband moved to the area 11 years ago to have more open space for their dogs, cats, and horses.
Over the past few years Gloria said she stopped riding her horses in the fall because of the increasing number of hunters she’s seen on the surrounding farmland.
‘People buy property so they can enjoy their freedom. We shouldn’t have to worry about this,? she said.
Still stinging from the loss of her dog, Nixon-John said she is now afraid to let her grandchildren play outside and is also concerned for the safety of the neighborhood children.
‘With all the troubles in the world I know this seems like a small thing, but to me, this is big.?
‘I’ve lost something very precious to me,? she said.
The Nixon-Johns are offering a reward for information leading to the conviction of the person responsible for killing their dog. Deputy Schmitzerle can be reached at (248) 969-3077.