Family dog found dead on Beaufort street with apparent gunshot wound

Passers-by who discovered a deceased family dog in the middle of a Beaufort road say the animal was shot in the head in the dead of night.

A family dog was found dead on the main road through Beaufort on Tuesday morning. Picture: File

A family dog was found dead by passers-by in Beaufort early on Tuesday morning, seemingly executed with a gun.

A deceased dog found near the Cyril Callister Museum just before 4.30am.

The animal was moved off the road by a driver who said it hadn’t been there two hours earlier.

“There is a staffy or something I’m not sure what kind of dog in the middle of the Beaufort road right next to the Vegemite museum,” the woman wrote on social media.

“It doesn’t look hit [by a car], but it has a bullet hole in its head and blood everywhere.

“I have moved it off the road – looks very fresh.”

Neill St in Beaufort outside the Cyril Callister Museum, where the dog was found. Picture: Google Maps

Another person said the dog had been left under a nearby tree and the authorities notified.

A resident claiming ownership of the dog said he escaped during recent storms.

“My poor baby,” she said.

“He obviously got scared of the thunder last night and got out.

“He’s not an aggressive dog – he’s been brought up around our children.

“Hopefully we can find out some answers soon.”

A Pyrenees Shire Council officer collected the deceased dog from the carpark at the Vegemite Museum.

“He was not able to determine if it had been shot or hit by a car,” a council spokesman said.

“The dog was microchipped and registered and so was able to be returned to the owner.

“Local police were also notified of the incident.”