Hayden Howard ran her hand across her dog’s fur and felt something that stopped her cold. Not raised bumps. Holes.
Jackson, her 100-pound English Mastiff puppy, had been playing in the family’s fenced-in backyard in Seymour, Indiana, behaving like nothing was wrong. He wasn’t limping. He wasn’t crying. He was, by all appearances, just a big, lovable dog enjoying his yard — the same yard where someone had apparently used him for target practice.

“I Was in Shock. I Didn’t Even Know What to Think.”
Howard had first noticed the marks on Jackson’s body over the weekend, thinking they were bug bites. Fox 59 It wasn’t until Saturday night, when she got a closer look and saw the wounds were actually small, open holes, that the alarm set in. A friend who breeds English Mastiffs came over and the two initially wondered if they might be botfly bites. They Googled. Nothing matched.
On Monday, Howard took Jackson to the vet. What the vet found left her speechless: 27 BBs and pellets pulled from the dog’s body. WRTV
“He just starts pulling BBs and pellets out of him,” Howard told FOX59. “I was in shock. I didn’t think that that was what it was.”
One pellet was lodged under his eyelid. Another was in his ear. More were found in his knee, scattered across his belly, buried throughout his body.

Nearly 70 Shots. One Puppy. Zero Reaction.
As staggering as 27 embedded projectiles was, a Seymour police officer told Howard that the total number fired was likely far higher — with some still lodged inside the dog and others that had struck him and bounced off, the officer estimated over 60 projectiles were fired at Jackson. Fox 59
Veterinarians shaved most of Jackson’s fur to locate and remove the wounds. Jackson is currently taking six pills a day for pain management and to prevent infection. WDRB Despite all of it, Howard says he never once acted like he was in pain.
“He had one under his eyelid, and he could have been blinded,” Howard said. “He’s not a vicious dog. He’s lovable and just lays there in the backyard. No one has ever come to me with a problem about him.” Seymour Tribune

What the Evidence Revealed
Police didn’t have to look far.
Investigators found BBs embedded in a tree in Howard’s backyard. The angle and trajectory pointed directly to the house next door — the home of 44-year-old Tim Woodard. Seymour Tribune
Officers executed a search warrant at the neighboring property. Inside, they found methamphetamine, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia. Woodard was arrested — but on drug charges, not animal cruelty. When asked about the dog shooting, he refused to answer without an attorney present. Fox 59
Police Chief Bill Abbott confirmed that whoever is ultimately charged in Jackson’s shooting will face animal cruelty and torture charges — a felony in Indiana. WAVE News As of original reporting, ballistic evidence was being prepared for examination at the Indiana State Police lab.

What We Know
Jackson, a nearly one-year-old English Mastiff, was shot while tied up in his fenced backyard in Seymour, Indiana, around April 16–17, 2017
Vets removed 27 BBs and pellets; approximately 20 more remained in his body; an estimated 20 more struck and bounced off
Howard initially believed the wounds were bug bites; a vet confirmed the truth on Monday
Ballistic evidence led investigators to the neighboring home
Tim Woodard, 44, was arrested on meth and drug possession charges; no animal cruelty charges had been filed at time of reporting
A community reward for information grew to over $500 Seymour Tribune
Jackson was expected to make a full recovery One Green Planet

Why This Story Won’t Let Go
Every dog owner reading this has had the same moment — glancing out the window, watching their pet roam a yard they believed was safe. Howard had that same assumption. Her yard was fenced. Her neighborhood seemed quiet. Her dog was friendly.
None of it mattered.
“I watch him everywhere I go now. He stays inside with me,” Howard said afterward. “I’m kind of afraid to even let him in the backyard by himself now.” WDRB
In Seymour, a local official noted the case was prompting conversations about strengthening the city’s animal protection ordinances. Seymour Tribune That’s the ripple effect stories like Jackson’s create — not just outrage, but action.
A puppy was shot nearly 70 times in his own yard and never made a sound. The people responsible for his safety had no idea until the damage was already done. That quiet, that obedience, that unconditional trust — it’s exactly what makes what happened to Jackson so hard to forget.