A Bristol dog owner is devastated after her three-year-old terrier-Maltese mix was shot to death in her front yard Wednesday afternoon.
The owner has no idea who pulled the trigger.
"He followed me, he slept with the kids, he was just everything to us," said Tracey Ragusa.
She's still choking back tears after Andrew, her beloved dog, was shot. She was at home with her 13-year-old twins when they suddenly heard a frantic yelp out front.
"He just screamed in pain and he came up to the glass and he hit the glass, so Rachel pulled him in," said Ragusa.
Andrew was bleeding and had a bullet hole in his side. He was rushed to the veterinarian, intubated and hooked up to monitors, but he died an hour later.
Tracey's son didn't even get to say goodbye.
The vet found multiple BB pellets inside him.
"He suffered. The bullet went through his spine. He had a collapsed lung," said Ragusa.
Bristol Police confirm they are investigating this mysterious act of animal cruelty.
Ragusa said she never heard a bang or a pop--no gun noise--and never saw a car or anyone in front of her home.
"Who would do this? He's such a lovable little boy," she said.
Now, neighbors like Laura Lydem are worried about their dogs. Lydem often saw Andrew when she walked her golden retriever, Teddy.
"We knew Andrew. Andrew was his friend. I am shocked. I am absolutely shocked. I can't believe that in this neighborhood, something like that would happen," said Lydem.
Ragusa's hopeful police can find the shooter, and speaking out to warn other dog owners to be careful.
"I want other people, especially people of Bristol to know, watch your dogs, if they do it to mine, they can do it to anybody."
Andrew was taken to UConn, where they're investigating the angle of the bullets' entry as part of an autopsy.