A homeowner shot at a group of dogs that came onto his property and attacked his donkey, leaving the animal dead, in Wonder Lake Thursday morning, the sheriff said.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 10:50 a.m. Thursday to the 7700 block of Howe Road in Wonder Lake for a report of an animal complaint.
McHenry County Department of Health Public Information Officer Nick Kubiak said there was a report of two German Shepherd-type dogs running at large in the area.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived and spoke with the 911 caller, who was the homeowner, according to McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Communication Specialist Emily Matusek-Baker.
The homeowner, also a livestock owner, heard a disturbance on the property and found the two dogs actively harassing his goats, Kubiak said.
He noticed the dogs had just attacked his donkey, Matusek-Baker said.
The owner fired one round to scare the dogs away while avoiding any risk to their livestock, Kubiak said.
The donkey died from its injuries sustained in the attack, Matusek-Baker said.
Kubiak said the cause of death for the donkey has not been determined yet. Neither dog was shot and they were both uninjured.
The dogs were scared off after the gun was fired and they ran back home before deputies arrived.
Deputies located the dogs and the owner of the dogs at a nearby home.
Animal control had not received any reports prior to the call of the dogs running at large but several residents stated after the incident that the dogs had previously harassed livestock in the area, Kubiak said.
McHenry County Animal Control continues investigating. It is unknown whether any citations have been issued to the owner of the dogs.