For eight years, donkeys Bonnie and Clyde kept a watchful eye over the cattle on their Barrow County farm.
“If there was something strange in the pasture, the donkeys would alert,” Todd Garrett said.
But now, Clyde will have to work alone while investigators determine who shot and killed Bonnie over the weekend.
Garrett told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution his family members had done their daily cattle count and were back inside when they heard the first of two gunshots.
“They knew it was close,” Garrett said.
But everything appeared fine outside, so no one gave it a second thought. Sunday afternoon, two young cousins made the heartbreaking discovery.
“They found Bonnie where we usually feed them,” Garrett said.
Bonnie had been shot in the shoulder and died from her injury. The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office was called to the Perkins Road farm and continued to investigate the shooting Tuesday afternoon.
The Garretts’ property backs up to a neighborhood, and the family believes the shot was likely fired from there, possibly by a high-powered rifle. But it’s not clear why Bonnie was shot and whether it was an accident or intentional.
The family is offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible, Garrett said.
“Those donkeys have been there for years,” Garrett said. “Everybody around there knows those animals. They’re all pets.”
Once identified, the shooter could face a felony animal cruelty charge. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office at 770-307-3080.
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