A Cedar Road family is wondering if animals in the area are safe after finding that their horse was shot this past weekend.

Cash, a 25-year-old retired farm horse, spent most of his time independently down the bluff away from the barns and house, but didn鈥檛 show up for breakfast on Sunday, April 9.

鈥淗e comes up every morning for his grain and he didn鈥檛 come up this morning, so my dad went to go look for him,鈥� said Jonathan Cairns.

The horse was found with a gunshot wound near its shoulder, and after examining the depth of the bullet hole, 鈥渢here was nothing we could do,鈥� Cairns said. An RCMP officer who came to investigate put the horse down.

Cairns said the family feels 鈥渧ery violated鈥� that someone came onto their property and shot their horse, seemingly quite deliberately.

鈥淚t was not near the road, it was not a mistake on that part of things,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd with it being a shotgun, it鈥檚 not like it was a stray bullet or something, just based on the range.鈥�

He said a couple of years ago there were some people on the property who claimed they鈥檇 been given permission to hunt deer there, though they hadn鈥檛 been. Even still, Cairns doesn鈥檛 think anyone could have mistaken the horse for a deer.

鈥淣ow I鈥檓 really wondering, what鈥檚 going on back there? Are my kids in danger? Are my dogs in danger? It just seems so senseless and pointless鈥︹�� he said. 鈥淭he goal [is] just to get it out there so people realize that somebody could do this. Your animals aren鈥檛 safe.鈥�

B.C. RCMP confirmed that Ladysmith RCMP is investigating the incident but said police haven鈥檛 determined yet exactly what happened or whether there was criminality.

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