Excerpts from the Jul 3, 2010 Blade story
Tyson, a 9-year-old shepherd, lab, and Rottweiler mix, was nearly dead on arrival the morning of June 24 at Reynolds Road Animal Hospital, after taking a
.45-caliber bullet to his left eye and another to his chest the previous evening. Though permanently blind in his left eye and suffering anemia and a swollen limb, the dog is expected to live. Tyson will need surgery to remove his left eye and possibly to excise the bullets from his leg.
"He's not out of the woods yet, but looking at him [on July 2], I think he's going to make it," Dr. Grothaus told the family. "This is a very tough dog. I don't think there are many dogs out there that can withstand the punishment and pain he went through."
He continued: "Imagine being point-blank shot in your left eye and having the bullet end up in your right tricep. Think about all of the structures that you need to go through to get to the right tricep. And then he got shot at point-blank range in his left shoulder, and it went across his chest, into his right tricep and almost landed on the other bullet."
Mr. Skowron and Ms. King were both charged Friday with injuring an animal and with animal torture. They are to appear July 16 in Toledo Municipal Court to answer to the misdemeanor charges. An attorney for Mr. Skowron confirmed this week that Mr. Skowron did shoot the Lucks' dog, who he said would wander the neighborhood unleashed. He said the shooting was done in defense of Mr. Skowron's dog, whom Tyson allegedly threatened.
Mr. Luck [Tyson's owner] said his family has received phone calls recently from Mr. Skowron's work colleagues at the Fermi 2 nuclear power plant in Monroe County, alleging that Mr. Skowron talked for weeks about shooting a neighbor's dog and then bragging about doing it. "If he's going to do this to a dog, what would he do to a human?" Mr. Luck asked. "What's to say he's not going to come to our house and try to do something to us?"
The Lucks hope to eventually recoup from Mr. Skowron the
nearly $7,000 in veterinary expenses that have resulted from Tyson's shooting. Those wishing to contribute to the cause may donate to Tending for Tyson at any Fifth Third Bank branch or by following directions on a Facebook page called Tending for Tyson. The family also hopes that Tyson's story will lend support to efforts to raise the criminal penalty for animal cruelty to a felony from a misdemeanor.
Jun 30, 2010 WTVG story
Under Ohio law, animal cruelty is a second degree misdeamenor. The maximum sentence is six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Good luck getting Skowron to pay the vet bills.