Loud bays echoed through the woods as the beagle took off across the vast county last December. For hunter Donny Norman, it was a sure sign his dog was hot on a deer’s trail.

Following in his truck and using a tracking device, Norman was only a half-mile behind his dog. But, in an instant, the bays stopped. His dog had stopped cold in its tracks.

This hunting season, Norman did not find the buck he had hoped for; instead, he found his dog dead with a gunshot wound to its back.

Norman is not alone in his loss. Retired King William law enforcement officer, Ronnie Moore shared a similar story. He found his dog shot…