Woman seeks answers after dog shot on walk
By Corey Howard
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SANDOVAL COUNTY, New Mexico (KOAT) — A Rio Rancho woman is seeking answers after her dog was shot five times on a trail near her home, with the shooter still at large. Nicole Tatum, who regularly walks the trails with her three dogs, said she won’t be returning after the incident.
Ringo, a two-year-old Doberman mix, was found by Tatum about a year ago on a trail near Rio Rancho. “He’s just a sweet, and he just wants to cuddle all the time and be happy,” Tatum said.
The shooting occurred this past weekend, shaking Ringo’s world. Tatum was walking her dogs when a red Jeep appeared. “And he kind of like pauses and slows down, which I don’t understand. And then he drives off. Obviously, the dogs are going to follow. If you slow down and pause, they’re going to have intrigue. And then, he drove right over the hill, right out of my eyesight, and then I hear bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam,” Tatum said.
Tatum heard six shots, and two of her dogs were hit, with Ringo’s injuries being life-threatening. “Two of those rounds went through his body. And then a different round had a major artery that goes between the ribs. So, he was bleeding out. If I didn’t get him to the vet, he wouldn’t have made it,” she said.
While operating on Ringo, the vet discovered something unusual about the bullets. “Her husband is a marksman, and so is one of the vet techs… she’s seen gun bullets. She’s seen a .22 in a body, and she’s like, there’s patterns that happen when that goes through tissue, and she’s like, the patterns aren’t there,” Tatum said, indicating a suspected homemade bullet.
Wednesday afternoon was the first time Tatum and Ringo returned to the trail since the shooting. “I haven’t been back since. I don’t feel comfortable walking out there right now,” she said.
The situation took place over a hill near the trail, and investigators are still looking into the incident. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office. Tatum said both of her dogs are recovering well.
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