Pug dog shot, dumped next to sign for MP Sarah Henderson in Apollo Bay

A pet pug dog was shot and dumped next to a sign for Victorian MP Sarah Henderson, with fears it was killed to “send a message”.

Who killed Darcy the pug?

The mysterious shooting of the 12-year-old dog in the southwest Victorian hamlet of Tanybryn has been elevated by Prime Minister Scott Morrison into an election whodunit.

The act, thought by some to be a political assassination, found its way to ­Victoria Police and federal authorities, amid fears the dog was shot at Easter to “send a message”.

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The incident comes against a campaign backdrop of warfare and trickery in the state’s most marginal seat, ­Corangamite — which the Morrison Government must win to retain power.

Residents of Tanybryn, 20km northeast of ­Apollo Bay and home to only a handful of farmers, are confused and ­divided over the killing.

On Easter Saturday, Darcy’s distraught owner found his dog’s body, lying about a metre from one of federal Liberal MP Sarah Henderson’s election signs that he’d agreed to have erected on the boundary of his small property.

The former Howard government staffer, in a statement ­released to the Herald Sun via Ms Henderson (right), said: “Darcy, my beloved 12-year-old black pug, had been shot through the left eye.”

Mr Morrison said: “Sure, we can disagree … but that doesn’t give anyone the right to engage in this sort of ugly hatred.”

The murdered dog was a black pug, like this one

Darcy’s owner said in his statement: “There was no doubt that Darcy had suffered a gunshot wound, probably from an air rifle.

“I have had Darcy since he was 12 weeks old and I was ­incredibly distressed by what had occurred. Within minutes, I wrapped his body into a blanket and buried him on my property. I was overwhelmed with emotion.”

He said he did not report the incident to police as he was concerned the body would need to be exhumed. Still very upset, he could not supply a photo of Darcy, so our front page shows a very similar pug.

No photos of Darcy’s ­demise were taken.

The death was relayed to Ms Henderson through a ­mutual friend. She informed the Liberal Party, who told her if she believed the dog’s death was a direct threat towards her, she should inform police.

Police at Waurn Ponds, near Geelong, were told a few days later by a third party. The Australian Federal Police, ­routinely informed of any threats of violence to a federal MP, were also contacted.

About two weeks later Mr Morrison, told of the incident by Ms Henderson, raised it at his Saturday morning ­campaign press conference.

“One of her supporters had a poster of her in their yard. Someone shot their dog and put the body of the dog below the sign,” Mr Morrison said.

“Sure, we can disagree … but that doesn’t give anyone the right to engage in this sort of ugly hatred.”

Corangamite MP and Liberal candidate Sarah Henderson

The circumstances surrounding the death of Darcy remain — to borrow from ­Winston Churchill — a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.

The dog was found in the driveway, just off busy Skenes Creek Rd, which leads to the Great Ocean Road.

Some said the body was 40m away from the Liberal MP’s sign, and multiple sources said it was likely the animal had been run over by accident.

Blood at the property did not suggest foul play and was not consistent with damage from a close-range gunshot, the sources suggested.

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One local said no one other than the owner could confirm how the dog was killed.

“Nobody seems to know,” he said, running through the ­various theories being spouted. “It was shot, it was attacked with a screwdriver, it was run over. It was found under the sign, in the driveway, on the road — it’s just bizarre.

“A cop apparently went out there but they’re not looking for a gun or for a hitman.”

Victoria Police confirmed the owner had not reported the attack and the incident was not under investigation.

Darcy loved a belly rub and was popular with both neighbours and visitors to the property, listed on Airbnb and busy over the Easter weekend.

A recent guest posted ­online: “Had a lovely visit from Darcy the pug in the morning, it brightened up our stay.”

Apollo Bay locals said they had heard nothing of the death. A cafe owner exclaimed: “A dog! I hope not. We’re such a dog-loving town.”

Ms Henderson takes the owner at his word that Darcy was shot dead, and says she ­remains “deeply disturbed”.

“I hope and trust that the perpetrator of this shocking act will be brought to justice. If anyone has any information they should contact police,” she said.

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