SPRING HILL, Fla. — The Hernando County Sheriff's Office arrested a woman in Spring Hill on Wednesday for multiple counts of aggravated animal cruelty after law enforcement said she shot two dogs 173 times with a BB gun.
The sheriff's office examined two separate x-rays and said Jamie Kujawa shot the dogs with a gas-powered BB gun whenever they tried to dig under the property fence to leave her yard.
Investigators say Kujawa told an animal enforcement officer that she's been shooting the dogs for about two months.
The Hernando County Sheriff's Office responded to a witness, who lives next door to Kujawa, who reportedly said "he was working outside when he heard the sound of a BB gun being fired followed by yelps of dogs being hit," and heard the gun being fired about 15 times for about 30 to 45 minutes.
According to authorities, Kujawa said she didn't own a BB gun and the dog's injuries were due to a recent dog fight. She also failed to provide proof of vaccination for all three dogs on her property, authorities said.
After inspecting the dogs, the officer reportedly noticed several injuries and scarring on the feet and paws of each dog.
A deputy from the Hernando County Sheriff's Office went to Kujawa's home to see all three dogs and said two of the three dogs appeared to have new wounds on their front paws and legs. The deputy also said "some of the injuries appeared to be consistent with dogs that have been fighting."
After failing to have the dogs checked by a veterinarian under a 10-day warning installed by the Hernando County Sheriff's Office, a deputy said Kujawa called the Sheriff's Office claiming she was unable to take the dogs to the vet due to financial reasons.
She then surrendered two of the three dogs to the Hernando County Animal Services, according to law enforcement.
From there, deputies say they sent the dogs to a local vet to conduct x-rays.
The x-ray on the first dog showed 71 BBs and 22 lead pellets located throughout the dog's head, torso and legs, the sheriff's office said. The second dog's x-ray showed about 71 BBs and 22 lead pellets throughout the same area as the first dog, leading to a total of 173 projectiles between the two dogs, according to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies say they removed the other animals inside Kujawa's home, including the third dog, three cats, a bird and a ferret. An investigation is currently underway by the sheriff's office to determine the condition of the animals.
