Woman's 2 dogs shot from neighbor dispute in Detroit

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Two dogs were shot during a neighbor dispute in Detroit - but the good news is both pets will be okay.

Sampson and Sadie were shot and Rustie Schloss is blaming her neighbor.

"They are my babies, they are my world, how can you just do that to an innocent animal," she said.

On Monday morning the dogs were in their fenced-in yard on Detroit's west side when she heard shots then saw 2-year-old Sampson covered in blood. 

"I didn't think he would make it through, I thought my dog was going to die," said Schloss.

About $3,000 in vet bills later, Sampson pulled through. Sadie suffered a graze wound and is skittish, but okay.

They're all now living at of a metro Detroit motel, scared to go home. 

"I am terrified, I don't want to go back home, I won't go back home," she said.

Detroit police are on the case, investigating not only animal cruelty but two felonious assault complaints coming out of this mess. 

"It seems like these neighbors have a long history of some kind of feud going on," said Capt. Darrell Patterson, Detroit police. 

There is a twist - Patterson says the neighbors who allegedly shot the dogs say someone came to their home with a gun making threats. Then Schloss says she was driving and someone shot at her car. 

All of this happened the same day as the shooting.

"We all have to live here together and we have to figure out how to solve problems without using weapons," Patterson said.

Schloss says they have gotten along with their neighbors until now. The neighbors didn't have a comment for FOX 2. 

"I just don't know where all this animosity came from," Schloss said. "It has been a nightmare."

Detroit police are still interviewing witnesses. Charges could be forthcoming but the investigation is not there yet.