METHUEN, MASS. (WHDH) - Authorities in Methuen are searching for the person responsible for fatally shooting a family’s beloved dog.

A woman who lives on Lowell Boulevard called police Thursday afternoon to report that she returned home to find her German shepherd, Moose, dead in the yard, according to the Methuen Police Department.

“It’s awful. You return home from running an errand and you find your pet deceased from a gunshot wound,” Methuen Police Capt. Kris McCarthy said.

McCarthy says the family’s other dog tried to comfort its fatally wounded counterpart.

“She discovered one of the dogs laying on top of the other dog behind the shed,” he said. “She discovered that their dog Creek was laying on their other dog Moose. Moose was deceased.”

Law enforcement officers with the MSPCA Animal Care and Adoption Center and Massachusetts State Police responded to the scene. Officials could be seen scouring the area for hours as they searched for evidence.

McCarthy believes the dog was the victim of a targeted shooting.

“We’re treating the crime scene like any other of a serious fashion,” he said. “It appears right now that the dog was targeted in some fashion due to the design of the property.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Methuen Police Department.

An investigation is ongoing.

(Copyright (c) 2020 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)