An Aylmer-area woman is speaking out about the tragic deaths of her dogs at the hands of a coyote hunter, revealing that she and her husband are being pressured to stop publicly discussing the incident.
Kaitlin Strong and her husband, Robert Jordan, lost their two German shepherds—nine-year-old Mary Jane and three-year-old Hank—during a shooting near their rural home in February. Since sharing their story on social media, Strong claims she has received numerous messages attempting to silence the couple, many of which have come from individuals in the Aylmer area.
“We’ve had a lot of people from Aylmer, specifically from the Aylmer Facebook page, reach out to me, either in DMs or in comments, and try to shut us up,” Strong explained.
Though Strong admits she can only speculate as to the reasons behind these messages, she suspects the individuals may be protecting someone involved in the killing or are engaged in illegal hunting activities. Despite the pressure, Strong and Jordan remain determined to raise awareness and educate the public to prevent similar incidents in the future.
“We’re trying to make something good out of this,” Strong said. “It all comes down to people reporting it.”
While some of the messages have been threatening, Strong also noted that many local hunters have offered support, expressing their disgust at the actions of those responsible for the deaths of Mary Jane and Hank.
The couple continues to seek justice, hoping to encourage the Ministry of Natural Resources, which is investigating the deaths, to interview witnesses and gather more evidence. A spokesperson from the ministry confirmed that the case remains under investigation but did not provide further details.
The tragic event occurred on Feb. 8 when Strong let her dogs out and heard a gunshot shortly afterward. She followed their tracks through the snow and discovered bloodstains, leading her to find the dogs’ bodies in a nearby field. Strong later learned that a group of hunters had been tracking coyotes in the area, and one of them mistakenly shot the dogs, thinking they were coyotes.
“We’re crushed,” Strong said, describing the emotional toll the loss has taken on her family. “This is the worst thing that has ever happened to us. We lost half of our family that day.”
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