Juvenile charged in shooting of dog with arrow

Information from the parent of a young witness led to charges Tuesday against a juvenile accused of shooting a dog with an arrow in the Sisters area, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said.

Few details were released, but deputies said a juvenile male was cited for animal abuse in the injuries to Stewie, a 2-year-old black-and-white male Pekingese/Dachshund mix who returned home on Hinkle Butte Road last Sunday with an arrow lodged in him.

Deputies said the case has been forward to the district attorney’s office.

Deputies had turned to the public for tips Monday as a Crime Stoppers reward was offered.

Tonya Rollins said they let Stewie out to go to the bathroom on Sunday and he ran off in the 69000 block of Hinkle Butte Road, northeast of Sisters.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Kevin Dizney said the dog wandered away from his home between 9 and 11 a.m. in a residential area of large parcels of land. It’s not known how long the dog was gone, but Stewie’s owners noticed that he returned home around 11 a.m. with an arrow lodged in him.

Specific details about the injury were withheld to avoid compromising the investigation, Dizney said.

Stewie underwent surgery to remove the arrow before being returned to his owner, the sergeant said.

Rollins said vets were worried Stewie might need a blood transfusion or have to have his leg amputated – but fortunately, the arrow didn’t even break a bone.

“We’re very worried, especially because we have a 12-year-old and an 8-year-old at home,” Rollins said. “There’s lots of kids around there. If someone’s willing to shoot a 14-pound dog, who knows what they’re going to do to a child. We’d like to offer a reward if we can find out who did this.”