ALVARADO, Texas — A North Texas family is seeking justice after their 4-year-old Basset Hound was shot and killed while staying at a relative’s home in Alvarado, Texas.
The Samek family said their dog, Sheriff, was killed on Feb. 25 while at Katherine Samek’s mother’s house. According to Alvarado Police Department, the shooting occurred sometime between 10:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. that day.
Katherine Samek said Sheriff was shot three times. “He was hit once in his back near his spine, and then once in his shoulder that went through his chest,” she said. “That one ultimately killed him. It went right through his heart.”
Police said the dog was shot with a high-powered air gun. The family believes the shooting was intentional, suggesting the suspect may have leaned over or climbed the fence surrounding the property.
The couple said Sheriff was a beloved family pet and had been adopted around the same time their young daughter was born. “That was the purpose of why we got him,” Dalton Samek said. “And now that was cut short.”
The SPCA of Texas is assisting with the investigation and has helped raise the reward to $5,000 for information that leads to identifying the person responsible.
For the Samek family, the loss remains deeply personal as they continue to search for answers. “Just think if it was your animal that got taken away from you,” Dalton Samek said. “Just making sure that the person that did this isn’t out there to do it again.”
Authorities are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact investigators.