Jacksonville family’s dog shot by armed burglar, owner says

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 9-year-previous canine was shot when striving to defend his house owners from an armed burglar that broke into their household although they had been speedy asleep, the spouse and children explained to News4JAX on Wednesday.

Nichole Vanderpool stated it happened two months ago at their house on Dellwood Avenue. She claimed the burglar fired two photographs, one of which resulted in the canine Parker’s damaged leg.

“We’re so thankful we were being not portion of any of the violence and Parker took a single for us,” Vanderpool said.

She claimed was awakened at 3 a.m. soon after falling asleep on the dwelling area couch.

“Out of nowhere, we just read a genuinely loud seem coming from our bedroom. And our doggy, Parker, alerted us by jumping off the couch and running in the way of whichever was going on. And, sadly, there was an intruder in our home,” Vanderpool said.

That intruder managed to drive open a bedroom window at the back of the household to get inside. As soon as the intruder created his way by the property, he walked as a result of a hallway and was standing at the edge of the kitchen where he was confronted by Parker.

Two shots ended up fired at Parker even though the dog’s entrepreneurs were being nevertheless in the residing space. Just one bullet ricocheted into a wall, and the other went by way of a person of Parker’s legs. His house owners ended up ready to seize him, and they ran out the entrance door, leaving the intruder inside of the residence.

Vanderpool stated that by the time police arrived, the burglar experienced left the scene following stealing items inside of the property. Parker was rushed to an animal crisis area, the place he was provided a solid and bandaged.

The canine is able to wander, but he nevertheless desires surgical treatment to make a restoration. His entrepreneurs commenced a GoFundMe account to increase revenue to help with health care charges.

“My partner and I have a good lifetime and we do what we can, but we just can’t pay for the out-of-pocket expenses suitable now,” Vanderpool stated. “So we commenced a GoFundMe, and we’re genuinely content with wherever it’s going, and we’re just hoping to get as considerably assistance as we can.”

Parker’s house owners stated they no more time experience harmless in the residence, and they have begun transferring to a further property.

“We’re new to the area and we wished so substantially to make this put perform out, but soon after this, we just definitely can’t contact this location house anymore,” Vanderpool stated.

In accordance to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s crime mapping tool, in just the past 4 weeks and in a 50 {95b18eb6fc4f42efd0d92738dfc3fb79fde21da267a711ecdf0381147c27bb86}-mile radius of the property, there have been studies of 7 home burglaries, 10 vehicle burglaries, an auto theft, a carjacking, 7 batteries, two powerful-arm robberies and 11 petit thefts.