Reward Offered After a Deaf Woman’s Deaf Dog Was Fatally Shot in Satsuma

Police in Satsuma were searching for suspects in October 2014 after a beloved family dog was fatally shot, a case that drew a $5,000 reward from the Humane Society of the United States and struck a nerve in the close-knit Mobile County community.

The dog, a two-year-old Louisiana Catahoula leopard cur named Si, was deaf — and so was her owner, Tabitha Venable. Satsuma Police Chief McLean said Venable discovered Si unresponsive when she returned home on Oct. 14. Veterinarians determined the dog had been shot with a small-caliber gun, and Si died during surgery.

A community reacts

Chief McLean described the killing as especially painful for a town that prides itself on its affection for animals.

“We are a dog loving community,” McLean said. “It’s doubly tragic that the deaf dog was rescued by a deaf woman who dearly loved it.”

The investigation and the reward

The Satsuma Police Department opened an investigation and asked anyone with information to contact Satsuma police dispatch at (251) 675-0151.

The Humane Society of the United States stepped in with a $5,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension of whoever was responsible. Mindy Gilbert, the organization’s Alabama director, framed the shooting as a serious crime deserving of a full response.

“This dog was someone’s companion and the senseless killer needs to be brought to justice,” Gilbert said. “We hope our reward leads authorities to the person responsible for this terrible crime.”

What Alabama law says

Alabama’s Pet Protection Act, passed in 2000, created specific crimes of cruelty to a dog or cat. Intentionally torturing a dog or cat is cruelty in the first degree, a Class C felony, which in Alabama carries one year and a day to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000. Cruelly beating, injuring or mutilating a dog or cat, or depriving one of necessary food or shelter, is cruelty in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor.