Deputies Searching For Person Who Shot Rescue Dog

An upstate fire department's search and rescue dog is recovering Monday, after being shot over the weekend.

Deputies are asking for your help in tracking down the person who shot a German Shepherd, whose job is to help others. 

On Sunday at the Croft Fire Department in Spartanburg, firefighters discovered something was wrong with their dog, Casey.

They say she was acting lethargic and wouldn't get up.

They took her veterinary emergency clinic, where staff there discovered she had been shot. 

15 month old Casey has been the croft fire departments search and rescue dog for over a year.

Lewis Hayes, the chief at the Croft Fire Department says,  "She’s trained to try and find people that are possibly lost, whether it's a small child or an adult."

Now she is put on medical leave, after someone shot her with a bird shot gun over the weekend, hitting her with over 100 pellets.

Allen Pruitt, the medical officer at the croft fire department says, "She got hit right here in the back of the neck, mostly in the upper back, lower back and the right hip."

“It really just seems senseless to us that someone would do that to a dog," says Hayes.  

Chief Hayes tells us people have complained about Casey's barking in the past, which he says could have been a motive for the shooter.

 "We bought a collar that is used to help her stop barking and then at night here at the station we have critters that she barks at so we would bring her in at night,” says Hayes.   

Casey has been with the croft fire department for just over a year and she has been involved in several search and rescue missions.  One just last month when she helped to rescue an elderly man who was lost in the woods.

Hayes adds, "Casey went out during the night and she actually came within about 500 feet of where the gentleman was found the next morning."

We learned Casey is expected to make a full recovery.

"We’re going to take her back in a couple of days and have them do another check up.  Mainly the antibiotics are just for any infection that might occur while she’s out,” says Pruitt. 

But still the croft fire department is reeling over who could have done this to one of their own. 

"Her whole life is dedicated to saving a human and to have a human put her life in jeopardy is just senseless to us,” says Hayes.

Casey's case has now been turned over to the Spartanburg county Sheriff Chuck Wright says, the person who did shoot Casey could face animal cruelty charges and because Casey was part of the fire department they could face destruction of property as well. 

Police are asking for your help in catching whoever did this to Casey.

If you have any information or if you saw anything, you are asked to call Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.