Dog might have been shot rather than mauled

Shelby Sellers' pit bull Rosie was recovering Wednesday from an attack, but it wasn't clear whether the culprit was man or beast.

Sellers' 3-year-old dog was found bleeding and shaken on her front porch Tuesday afternoon in the Midway Road area where several dogs were killed earlier this year, apparently by an unidentified predator.

"When we took the dog to the vet, her backside was bleeding and we thought she'd been attacked by some animal. But the vet shaved her in three places to treat the scratches, and all we found were these little holes in her skin, but no scratches," Sellers said Wednesday.

The veterinarian, J.R. Rabon of Supply, probed the tiny holes but found no shot in the wounds, Sellers said, making her unsure what inflicted the wounds.

"I really don't know what happened to her. … All I know is I came home to a bloody dog and two crying children, and I had to do something," she said of her rush to get the dog quick medical treatment. Rosie had her multiple wounds tended to and was given antibiotics against possible infection and will remain indoors for the time being.

Sellers, who lives in the 3000 block of Albright Road, said neighborhood residents remain wary of the unidentified animal that's blamed for the deaths of three dogs in the area in the past three months.

No one has reported seeing the so-called Beast of Bolivia. But residents have found paw prints and animal droppings, and county Animal Services officers investigated without reaching a conclusion. Brunswick County Animal Services Director Richard Cooper said he spoke with Sellers and the veterinarian to glean any clues about the attack on Rosie and the possible predator.

"It appears that the animal was shot," he said. "But I imagine that when she first got there and saw her dog, it looked like it had been attacked. You just don't think someone will shoot at a dog."

Cooper said any further investigation would depend on an actual sighting.

"The investigation is at a standstill until we get a confirmed sighting," he said. "When we have something solid to go on that's substantiated, we'll ask the Wildlife Resources Commission to get involved."

Paul Jefferson: 755-6307

paul.jefferson@starnewsonline.com