‘I’m scared’: Neighbors on alert after third suspicious dog death in Darlington County community

DARLINGTON COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) - Neighbors in a Darlington County community are afraid for their pets’ safety after they said a third dog from their neighborhood was killed.

The latest case happened over the weekend when George, a 10-month-old English bulldog, was reported missing from his home on Friday after escaping through a fence opening. According to the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office, on Saturday, George was found shot and mutilated just three miles away in Chesterfield County.

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Owners Shannon Simmons and Caroline Perry were thousands of miles away on vacation when they received the devastating news.

Simmons said this loss really makes her uneasy about returning home.

“I’m just dreading going back there. We miss him of course, a lot. But a part of us, I’m like really pissed. I’m angry that somebody could do this to him,” said Simmons.

The tragedy has been oddly familiar to neighbors who said in recent months one dog was shot and another was allegedly poisoned in their community.

Back in February, neighbor Shannon Jordan said her dog was shot while playing outside. Now she’s scared to let her other dogs out of her sight.

“You want to think that nobody in your neighborhood could’ve killed your dog,” said Jordan. “So now I’m afraid, I have other pets and I’m afraid to let them outside.”

Nearby neighbors said it’s scary because and it’s so close to home.

“I’m worried about letting our dogs outside,” said neighbor Jessica McWhorter. “Even with a fenced-in backyard, because the dog that was poisoned literally lives right there, so when I go outside with them, I make sure I go out there with them to make sure.”

The Darlington County Sheriff’s Office is investigating George’s death.

Shannon and Caroline have also created a GoFundMe account to help raise money for a reward in the case.

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