Mateo, a four-year-old red Siberian Husky, was killed while off-leash on a recreation trail in Oregon on New Year’s Eve. His owner is still looking for answers.
Stephen Richardson hiked with his two huskies, Mateo and Maverick, nearly every morning — long runs through the Cline Buttes Recreation Area, a public space open to hikers, bikers, and campers. On New Year’s Eve, someone shot Mateo four times. Richardson heard the gunshots, ran through the snow, and found his dog gone.
Footprints led him to a tree about twenty-five feet away, where he found shell casings. As he put it, there is no way at that distance to mistake a sixty-five-pound red Siberian Husky for a coyote. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation; no suspect had been identified at the time of reporting.
We share stories like this one because they are the reason the rescue exists. This breed is powerful, striking, and too often misunderstood or mistreated. Every husky deserves an advocate — and every one of ours has one.
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