NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Metro Nashville Police Department is still searching for the suspect who shot a woman's pet dog in a Bordeaux park last Saturday.
Taylor Hauser, the owner of the dog, said she and 9-year-old Australian Shepherd mix Aspen were the best of friends.
"Everyone who met her just loved her — loved her," Hauser said. "She adored humans. She never met a person she didn't like and didn't love."
Last week, they were playing at Bordeaux Gardens Park — a place they liked to soak up the sunshine together.
"We were out in the creekbed over there," Hauser said, gesturing to one of the last places Aspen played. "And out of nowhere, she came out of the creekbed and stopped and wouldn't come to me and I immediately knew something was wrong."
Hauser said someone shot Aspen with a pellet gun.
"I knew it was bad from the beginning," Hauser said. "And I was really hoping she had maybe fallen on a stick [or] had gotten injured some other way, but she was immediately struggling to stay awake. I knew it was very bad.
Hauser said that even though she rushed Aspen to the vet, ultimately, Aspen had to be put down.
"In her last moments, she really fought to be here," Hauser said.
The MNPD and Hauser are still searching for the shooter.
Aspen was off-leash at the time of the shooting, but Hauser said that doesn't justify what happened.
"There were so many other avenues to take and you didn't have to take a life. It's really, really scary to me that someone is okay with doing that to begin with ... You're more than entitled to think that I was in the wrong; that's not the issue that we're looking at," Hauser told News 2. "We're looking at someone who maliciously and intentionally hurt a living being and that's terrifying."
Hauser says she's finding comfort in her other pup Basil.
The MNPD would like to hear from you if you know anything about this case. You can call Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463. You can follow this link to donate to a GoFundMe to help cover the cost of Aspen's treatment.