Farmer Offers $20,000 Reward After Dog Shot at Victorian Nursery

A farmer in northeast Victoria has posted a $20,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the person who shot his dog. Tom Powell was at his plant nursery near Beechworth when his German short-haired pointer, Daisy, was shot on May 15. The incident occurred around 8:40 a.m. as Daisy was running with eight other family dogs near where Powell was operating an all-terrain vehicle.

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$20,000 is not actually a lot when you're talking about people's lives; it's quite a small amount actually. It's not a lot, but it may get people talking and might make a difference.

Daisy survived the shooting, with the bullet entering her rear leg and exiting her abdomen. She received approximately $2,700 in veterinary care and is recovering at home. The family initially offered $5,000 but increased the reward due to concerns for community safety. Powell stated that $20,000 is a small amount considering the potential risk to human lives, including his sons, grandchildren, staff, and customers.

Powell believes the shooting was a deliberate act, potentially connected to a series of complaints the family has faced regarding their business over the past decade. He suggested that individuals might be exploiting a perceived lack of consequences for actions and attempting to intimidate the family. Powell has filed a police report, and an investigation is ongoing, though no leads have been identified.

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Daisy was shot, but what if that was one of my boys, they're 25, 30 years old, working here all the time, our grandchildren, staff, customers.

This is not the first time the family has used a public appeal to resolve a crime. Approximately four years ago, they successfully recovered $20,000 worth of stolen bikes and tools after offering a $10,000 reward, which generated crucial information from the community. Powell hopes a similar outcome will occur with the current appeal, potentially prompting someone to come forward with information about Daisy's shooting.

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There's no consequences for people's actions anymore, and it's probably taking advantage of that … and just people trying to scare us and Daisy got shot.