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A $5,000 reward is being offered by the Humane Society of Utah for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons who fatally shot a West Jordan family's dog.

"Shaggy," an 11-year-old miniature schnauzer, was shot on March 10 with a pellet gun. A veterinarian said the wound caused blood to fill his lungs, and the dog died at a pet hospital on Sunday.

The dog is believed to have been shot sometime after it got loose from the backyard of its owner, Claudia Cruz, who lives near 8200 South and 6500 West. Shaggy later returned home but soon became unresponsive.

Humane Society spokeswoman Deann Shepherd said there also had been a report of someone in an SUV shooting a pellet or BB gun at Cruz's nephew the day before Shaggy was wounded.

"If someone in the area is shooting at pets as well as people, as claimed by the nephew, then this person needs to be caught before anyone else gets hurt," Shepherd said.

In a Facebook post (http://bit.ly/2nFTjTQ), Cruz said her family "is devastated," and cannot "understand why anyone would hurt an innocent dog."

Aggravated animal cruelty and illegal use of a weapon are class B misdemeanors, punishable by fines adding up to as much as $3,500 and a year in jail.

Anyone with information on the incidents is asked to call West Jordan police at 801-256-2000.

Twitter: @remims