Salma Hayek’s dog was killed by a neighbor in the Seattle area in mid-February and the shooting was ruled justified by the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, NBC News reports. Nonetheless, the county will send the case of the actress’s shot dog to prosecutors for review, said spokesman Lt. Cliff Ziesemer.
Hayek’s neighbor, who is an animal lover and dog owner, has expressed deep regret over Hayek’s dog’s death. She wasn’t aware that it belonged to the actress, or even that the dog was dead. Here’s what reportedly happened.
Salma’s Story
On February 19, Salma Hayek was not with her dog. Her caretaker was. The caretaker — who seems to have a great gig — went horseback riding and took Hayek’s dogs with her. The dogs split from the caretaker when they heard other dogs and took off. On the way home, the caretaker noted that one of Hayek’s pets was missing. She later found the dog dead on a trail.
Hayek posted a photo of Mozart, the deceased dog, on her Instagram and called for justice. “I am hoping that the Washington State authorities do justice to this wonderful dog whom in 9 years never bit or attacked anyone,” Hayek wrote. “He loved his territory and never strayed away…he was the most loving and loyal companion. He didn’t deserve a slow and painful death.”
How It Happened
Hayek’s neighbor has been highly apologetic but the case is still being forwarded to prosecutors for review. Kim Lund, the actress’ neighbor, told The Associated Press her husband had not intended to kill the dog, just to scare him off.
They were watching television when they heard “a ruckus” in the garage. Her husband went in with a pellet gun and shot into the air. “We didn’t even know we hit the dog,” she told reporters, adding that her husband held up the pellet gun and shot it to scare the dogs away. She said one of the strange dogs was on top of her dog at the time.
Lund said that Hayek’s dogs are on her property chasing her dogs regularly. But still, she is sorry. Lund has five dogs of her own and other animals.
She is unhappy about the incident, telling reporters, “My heart is broken. I’m really sorry that the dog died. I’m still coming to terms with all of this, as you can imagine. We didn’t even know we killed a dog. To find out we killed a dog that belonged to a high profile person, I’m in shock.”
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