CALEDONIA, WI — The Larson family is grieving the loss of their dog Chili, who was shot with a pellet gun in their Caledonia neighborhood and later died from her injuries.
AJ Larson said he let Chili out in the backyard last Wednesday evening, but she escaped.
"She's a Houdini and she must've saw a squirrel or something she hopped the fence," AJ Larson said.
Watch: Caledonia family's dog dies after being shot with pellet gun in neighborhood
The family immediately went searching for her. Shortly after, they heard a sound and Chili came running back to them.
"We heard a clap. She started yelping and screaming. She ran right to us, we brought her home, she collapsed in our kitchen," AJ Larson said.
The family rushed Chili to a veterinary hospital. X-rays revealed a pellet inside her body. According to Caledonia police, the pellet appeared to come from a low-caliber weapon. The family said it entered on her left side, traveled to the back of her body and nicked an artery. Neither the family, nor the police know who shot Chili.
Chili did not survive her injuries.
"She did not deserve to be shot and killed," Amanda Larson said.
Amanda Larson described the moment she said goodbye to Chili.
"That was my last and final goodbye that I got to say to her before we left," Amanda Larson said.
The family said losing a dog is like losing a family member, but they are less focused on punishment and more focused on raising awareness so this level of violence does not happen in their community again.
"We want to make our neighborhood safer and that's what we told the Caledonia Police Department, we're not looking to press charges we want somebody to do the right thing," AJ Larson said.
Caledonia police are investigating the shooting. No suspects have been identified. Anyone with information is urged to contact police.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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