'It's scary': Quiet Sask. village rocked after family dog shot and killed in apparent random attack

A quiet community north of Saskatoon is reeling after a family pet was shot and killed on Friday evening in an apparent random incident.

On July 26 at approximately 9 p.m., Wakaw RCMP received a report that a dog had been shot in St. Louis. The dog was taken for veterinary care and later died.

The incident has left local residents feeliung uneasy.

Known for its tight-knit community and peaceful atmosphere, St. Louis, a village south of Prince Albert, is grappling with the senseless act of violence. The shooting of a nine-year-old family dog named Bailey has shattered the town's sense of security.

"The neighbours were pounding on the window saying 'your dogs been shot, your dogs been shot,' so I freaked out, I called Chris, Bailey came running out with blood in her mouth. I put her up against the wall, and called 9/11," Haley Pearce, the dog’s owner told CTV News.

The incident has sparked widespread concern among residents of the town with a population of just 415.

"It’s scary for all the rest of us out here, we all have dogs. Even if it was a targeted situation, you never know if you could be next," neighbour Somer Cottingham said.

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Mayor Mark Caron says this is out of character for the town.

"I've lived here for 17 years now. And I've been on council for 12 of those years, out of those twelve years we've never heard of anything like this happening before," Caron said.

The Pearce’s say that their 14-year-old daughter Emma had been receiving threatening messages on the internet prior to the shooting and that an individual concealing their identity was spotted near the dog shortly before the shooting took place.

"I added one of my other friends, and we were joking around, and he said something about the joke so I called him a name, it was just one name. I didn't want to go super far-- a name. Next thing I know he pulled my location out, sent it to me," Emma Pearce said.

The RCMP was unable to confirm whether or not this was a person of interest as part of their investigation, but they do confirm that the investigation is underway, as for now the suspect and their motives remain unknown.

—With files from Drew Postey