Residents in tiny Emblem, Wyoming, are alarmed by a recent wave of violence against their pets. At least two dogs in the small community between Cody and Greybull have been wounded by gunshots.
Tessa Walbert’s dog, a 6-year-old pit bull named Rocco, was shot around 11:50 a.m. Saturday. He was in the family's yard with their other dogs when the incident happened.
“I believe he was at the entrance when it happened,” Walbert told Cowboy State Daily. “He and my two puppies were greeting our neighbor’s dogs. When they left, I went back into the house.”
When her husband got home around noon, he told Walbert to call the vet.
Rocco’s face was covered with blood flowing from several circular wounds on his head and neck, including one right between his eyes.
“Based on the scattered wounds, I believe it was a shotgun,” she said. “Possibly a .410 or a lower gauge. One of the pellets hit between his eyes down to the bone, and the other ones just cut him slightly.”
It was a harrowing experience, as Walbert said she was fully aware that her beloved dog was millimeters from death.
“He’s lucky to have a thick skull,” she said.
Stranger Shooting
Walbert said that what happened to Rocco isn't an isolated incident. One of her neighbor’s dogs had been shot the day before, also while it was outside in the yard.
“Their red heeler mix got shot in the side with a .22,” she said. “The bullet was stuck (in his skin), so my husband went over and got it out for them.”
Walbert and her family have been living in Emblem for 18 months without any issues with their neighbors, dog-related or otherwise. That’s why she believes whoever shot these dogs doesn't live in Emblem.
“Since we moved here, I’ve always felt safe,” she said. “The neighbors are tight-knit and friendly, especially our neighbor. He is very kind, and so are our dogs.”
Walbert believes whoever was responsible was driving through Emblem when they shot the dogs.
She added that Rocco isn’t aggressive and was on her property when he was shot, ruling out the possibility that someone shot him in self-defense.
“The most he does is run to the entrance to check out who’s driving by, but he does not leave the property,” she said. “He is not aggressive at all.”
Regardless, nobody reported shooting a dog in self-defense on either Friday or Saturday.
How Heinous
Walbert reported the dog shootings to the Park County Sheriff’s Office, which was not available for comment by the time this story was published.
She said the agency investigated both her and her neighbor’s properties and asked other Emblem residents if they’d seen or heard anything.
Pet shootings are rare, but emotionally charged, crimes in Wyoming. In 2020, the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office investigated four pet shootings in a single year that killed three dogs and a cat in Pinedale.
Sgt. Travis Bingham, who believed the shootings were connected, told Cowboy State Daily at the time that he’d never seen a string of pet killings in his 14-year career.
There have been no updates since 2020, and a suspect or suspects were ever identified.
Earlier this month, Worland resident Donald Wright pleaded not guilty to felony animal cruelty and other criminal charges after being arrested in January for allegedly shooting his own dog six times.
Wright’s dog Axel was shot in the leg, shoulder, jaw, and chest with a 9 mm handgun. Wright told the Washakie County Sheriff’s Office that he wanted to put the dog down after it killed his chickens.
According to an evidentiary affidavit, Wright’s ex-girlfriend was sheltering the dog when Wright came to her home with a firearm and shot at the dog multiple times through the porch.
Wright returned the next day, demanding his dog back so he could put it “out of its misery.”
The affidavit said he told his ex-girlfriend that he hoped his injured dog “bleeds out,” and that he had a history of shooting dogs.
Axel survived and was relinquished to a new owner in Worland after extensive veterinary treatment, although he has four bullets lodged inside him.
Wright was charged with two felonies, cruelty to animals and using a gun while committing a felony, and six misdemeanors. If convicted on all counts, he could face up to 16.5 years in prison and fines totaling $19,500.
Uncertainty
As of Thursday, Rocco is doing just fine, Walbert said. He’s been seen by a local veterinarian and is expected to make a full recovery.
Walbert didn’t see or feel any pellets embedded in his skin. However, swelling around his eye and the pellet wound have been a constant concern since Saturday.
“His face swelled up extremely bad around his brain and nose, and the middle wound is filled with pus,” she said. “Unless we want to sedate him and get X-rays, we can’t be sure.
The best Walbert can do is drain the pus-filled wound to prevent infection. Rocco’s being a model patient, but Walbert can tell that draining the wound is a painful experience for him.
Otherwise, the pitbull is back to his usual self and doesn’t seem to have been seriously hurt. Despite his injuries, he got a positive prognosis from the vet.
“She said the swelling has gone down significantly, and he seems to be happy and healthy,” Walbert said.
Still, Walbert’s worried. Two dogs were shot in two days in Emblem, and she has no idea why or by whom.
“They were shot by someone driving by,” she said. “We don’t know anyone (in Emblem) that would harm animals like that."
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
