A man went on a search for his missing dog before discovering her collar with a chilling note.
Chad Stricker spent six days looking for his 10-month-old wolfdog, Nymeria, in the Ozona community in rural Pearl River County.
Stricker, who lives on a 10-acre property, would allow Nymeria and her older brother, Ghost, to roam the property during the evenings.
However, Stricker raised the alarm when the 10-month-old dog didn’t return from her evening stroll after Ghost, a white wolf-hybrid dog, arrived back at the house without her.
Nymeria’s owner told the Sun Herald: “I looked every day, multiple times a day,” Stricker said. “There were some days I came home early from work to look. I posted on social media, asked neighbors, and drove up and down roads.”
Despite the young pup’s size of 60 pounds, Stricker described her as the ‘sweetest and most gentle’ dog he’s ever owned.
“There’s not a mean bone in her body,” the owner added. “She was good with other dogs, good with kids. She was super lovable.”
Stricker’s girlfriend, Katharine Graversen Murray, revealed that Nymeria only had one eye after a stray dog punctured it. Despite this, the pup played and shared food with the same stray dog.
The 10-month-old dog also wore a large yellow collar with an oversized tag that showed her photo, address, and number, and a description of her personality as a precaution in case she went roaming too far.
Stricker said: “We did that so if anyone ever saw her, there’s no mistaking she was someone’s dog.”
While Nymeria was still missing, Stricker had dinner plans with his daughter. Before leaving, he discovered the pup’s collar with a chilling typed note.
Her owner had to pull over after seeing the horrifying note. The anonymous letter read: “I’m sorry to inform you that your dog was shot and killed Saturday night while digging through my garbage.
“It did not suffer, and I did not take pleasure in killing it. There is a county leash law which you should abide by so that I do not have to kill any more of your pets.”
Stricker shared that the letter had made him ‘sick to his stomach, ‘ furious that someone had taken her life for digging around in their garbage.
“An animal is not worth more than your trash or the time to make a phone call?” the owner added.
Stricker pleaded across social media for someone to return Nymeria’s body, so he could give her a proper burial.
Heartbreakingly, he was never able to do that with the person who shot her, never returning her home.
Stricker reached out to someone at the Sheriff’s department to learn if there was anything he could do, but to no success.
“Technically, there’s nothing I can do,” Stricker revealed. “It was on the other person’s property, and landowners are protected in that matter.
“You feel bad for the animals. If it had been a chihuahua, would it have been shot? There should be laws to protect animal owners. No animal should be shot for going through someone’s trash.”
The Pearl River County leash law requires all animals to be behind a fence or restrained with a leash.
After Nymeria’s tragic death, Stricker made a post on Facebook that gained attention.
It reads: “You were more than garbage to me, baby girl, to think Nymeria was worth less than garbage or a damn phone call.”
Devastatingly, Stricker revealed that Ghost, her older brother, would sit and wait for her in hopes she would come home.
