The responsible pet owner is struggling to comprehend the gruesome discovery her husband made on Tuesday night that led to the eventual death of their beloved five-year old mini-foxy.

Just before 9.30pm Mitchell Barnes found the small dog in his kennel suffering from a single horrific gunshot wound to his stomach.

And, despite reporting the incident to the relevant authorities the devastated family are still at a loss as to why their affectionate dog was shot.

They have lived at the two-acre property for two years and have not received any complaints about the deceased dog or his daughter, three-year-old, Panda.

Louise says even if Bear had wondered off their property there is no justification for anyone doing this.

“If it was an accident we would just like the person to come forward and tell us,” the distraught young mum says.

“But if it was deliberate the perpetrator needs to be held accountable so it does not a happen again.”

Due to the severity of the wound and the fact Bear made it back to the family home, Louise suspects he was shot on their property.

“This is concerning on so many levels as we are only minutes from town - this raises so many issues,” she says.

Singleton Council has confirmed rangers are aware of the incident and that it has been referred to the Police and the RSPCA.