SPRING HILL, Fla. — The Hernando County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) arrested a woman for aggravated animal cruelty after a neighbor reported her for shooting her dogs with a BB gun in April, and an investigation revealed she shot two of her dogs more than 170 times.
Jamie Lynn Kujawa, 37, was arrested Tuesday on multiple counts of felony aggravated animal cruelty.
The investigation into Kujawa began April 19 after a neighbor reported hearing "the sound of a BB gun being fired followed by yelps of dogs being hit."
According to HCSO, Kujawa told an animal enforcement officer she didn't own a BB gun.
While checking on Kujawa's three dogs, the animal enforcement officer saw various injuries and scaring on their feet and paws. They said one of the dogs was in worse condition and had "numerous fresh puncture wounds to its paws and legs."
When asked, Kujawa said the dogs had recently been in a fight.
Before leaving, the animal enforcement officer told Kuajwa she had 10 days to get her dogs vaccinated since she was unable to provide proof of vaccination, and to provide proof that the dogs were checked by a veterinarian for their injuries.
HCSO said over the next week, animal enforcement officers routinely checked on the condition of the dogs.
On April 28, Kujawa called HCSO and told them she needed information on the county's owner surrender policy because she financially could not take the dogs to the veterinarian.
Five days later, Kujawa surrendered two of the three dogs to Hernando County Animal Services.
On May 6, during an in-depth examination by the veterinarian at Hernando County Animal Services a lead pellet was removed from the right paw of one of the dogs.
Three days later, both dogs were sent to a local veterinarian for x-rays.
In the first dog's x-rays, according to HCSO, approximately 61 BBs and 19 lead pellets were spotted throughout the dog's legs, torso and head. They said approximately 71BBs and 22 lead pellets were identified on the second dog's x-rays.
"Investigation revealed Kujawa used a gas-powered BB gun to shoot the dogs when they attempted to dig under the property fence to get out of her yard," HCSO said. "Kujawa advised she had been shooting the dogs for approximately two months."
After arresting Kujawa, the other animals in her home, which included the third dog, three cats, a ferret, and a bird were removed.
HCSO said an investigation into the condition of those animals is currently under investigation.
