When a Methuen resident returned home around 1 p.m. on Thursday from doing errands, she found one of her four dogs laying on top of one of the others toward the back of her yard.

When she pulled the dog off the other, she found the second dog, Moose, a German Shepherd, had been shot to death.

“That’s what brought the young lady to the attention of the deceased dog,” Methuen police Capt. Kristopher McCarthy told reporters gathered at the scene. “Their other dog, Creek, was laying on top of the deceased dog when she returned home, so she was just checking on that situation [and] she discovered the deceased dog, Moose, had been shot.”


McCarthy called the crime “horrendous” during the press conference. Nothing was stolen, and there was no sign of a break-in. The shooting appears to be intentional, but state police detectives along with members of the Methuen department, including one of its K-9 units, were examining the scene for evidence, he said.

#UPDATE @MethuenPolice off Getchell and K9 buddy searching for evidence at scene where German Shepherd Moose was shot and killed. pic.twitter.com/gAWVxbMNxB — Joseph E. Solomon ?? (@ChiefSolomon) April 4, 2019

State police also brought in a K-9 trained to find ballistic evidence, the department said on Twitter.

UPDATE MSP Fire/Explosives Section also enroute with K9 trained to detect ballistic evidence. https://t.co/6RxKb2v583 — Mass State Police (@MassStatePolice) April 4, 2019

Moose was just 3 years old, according to WBZ. McCarthy said one of the other dogs did appear to have a “graze wound,” and that the owners were determining if it was severe enough to bring the dog to the vet.

“We don’t know if that’s a gunshot wound or not,” he said. “It could’ve been from roaming around the yard.”

Police searching for person who fatally shot Methuen family’s beloved German shepherd https://t.co/zeplsLMFuy #7News pic.twitter.com/7K69lI3M6V — 7News Boston WHDH (@7News) April 5, 2019

The dogs had access to the yard from the home, and could go in and out freely. The yard was fenced, McCarthy told Boston 25 News. Beyond the yard, the area is “wooded,” he said. There’s also a hill.

“It’s not an area that someone would be just frequently walking through,” he said. “It’s even wet in some areas.”

Police spoke with neighbors, who said the dog owners have “no issues with anybody.” Officials are hoping other residents may have video surveillance that picked up what happened to Moose.


“It’s sickening to think that someone can go on your fenced-in property in the middle of the day and kill your dog,” McCarthy said.