Metairie family's dog recovering from gunshot wounds; neighbor arrested(video)

METAIRIE, LA (WVUE) -
Four-year-old Raider, a mixed Labrador breed, has always been a beloved pet.

But last week, after he slipped through a door left open at the family home, he became the victim of a shocking crime.

"[My wife] walked out and there was blood by the front door. Looked over and we found Raider in the grass," said Raider's owner, Jim Hanley.

Hanley first thought Raider had been hit by a car, but after taking him to an animal hospital, he learned from veterinarians that his pup had actually suffered two gunshot wounds -- one to the face, one to the neck.

"You really don't know what to say when you hear somebody shot your family pet," Hanley said.

A brief investigation led Jefferson Parish deputies to Randall Schexnayder, who lives a couple blocks away from the family.

Officials said Schexnayder admitted to shooting Raider with his 22-caliber pistol, claiming the mixed-breed was trying to mate with his purebred dog.

He was booked on a count of aggravated cruelty to an animal, officials said.

News of the crime spread quickly throughout the typically quiet Metairie neighborhood.

"Hearing about this was really terrible," said neighbor Sachin Kamath.

Hanley says no matter what his dog may or may not have done, he can't believe the situation ended in gunfire.

"We were furious and it's hard to explain the emotion when something like that happens," he said. "The look on Raider's face right after it happened, you know, he just wanted help. And you've got to imagine he's probably wondering, 'What did I do?' You know, and had no idea what was going on with him. It was a lot of shock in the beginning, for him and for us too."

We reached Schexnayder by phone Thursday, but he declined to comment.

Meanwhile, the Hanleys say Raider has made big improvements over the past few days and seems to get better each day.LINK