PAYETTE, Idaho — On the morning of Jan. 22, Sonia Craig's husband noticed their working dog, Oscar, was not with his sheep.
It wasn’t long before Sonia spotted a trail of blood. She immediately knew — Oscar was gone.
"He was 150 to 200 yards off the road, minding his own business, and there are no tracks leading to the road in the snow. He was exactly where he should have been," said Sonia Craig, a Payette farmer.
Oscar had everything he needed to signal to night hunters that he was a Livestock Guarding Dog. Craig can't understand why anyone would take the life of her trusted partner.
"To have somebody just cruising around, or scoping, whatever you want to call it, and shooting off the field s— one, it's illegal. Very illegal. Two, it's downright wrong," Craig said.
Payette County Sheriff Andy Creech confirmed that an investigation into the killing is underway.
"The Payette County Sheriff's Office takes all animal cruelty cases seriously and will continue to investigate any leads that come in. We've opened an investigation into this incident and are asking anyone with information to contact our office," Creech said.
Craig is seeking more than just answers — she wants justice. She has launched a campaign offering a $9,000 reward, thanks to generous contributions from a GoFundMe campaign.
"This isn't about money. This is about finding the person who killed Oscar," Craig said.
She and her family have worked to preserve critical evidence for the investigation, including a bullet found inside their dog.
"As hard as it's been, we've been really conscious of the chain of custody. We're making sure we do everything we can so the case isn't compromised. We won't let this case fall apart," Craig said.
Craig is also calling on lawmakers to pass stronger laws to protect working dogs.
Oscar’s death is not the only tragedy in recent months. In September, another livestock guard dog,Ellie, was also shot in Twin Falls.
"I don't know how much common sense we need to get. I have text messages from people losing guard dogs. Of course, they're out of the pet category, but they're our partners. We trust them with our entire herd of sheep," Craig said.
