Justice for Kaoru, the Therapy Dog Killed by a Hunter

Valley Calderoni and a colleague, both employees at an animal rehabilitation center, took several of their dogs on a hike, including four-year-old Kaoru, Calderoni’s own dog. As they began preparing to go home, they heard a gunshot nearby. A hunter had shot Kaoru from ten feet away. She died as Calderoni held her in her arms.

There is a No Hunting & No Shoot Zone near where Kaoru was shot, but hunting is allowed in the area where they had been hiking. However, it is currently legal hunting season for mule deer and black bears only. The hunter supposedly believed he was killing a wolf, which wouldn’t have been legal anyway. No charges have been filed against the hunter, though an investigation is underway.

While the hunter should be charged, we need to fight to protect animals and prevent a situation like this from happening again. Please sign this petition to extend the No Hunting & No Shoot Zone to include the area where Kaoru was shot.

Kaoru did not deserve to die. Trained as a therapy dog, Kaoru brought joy and a sense of security to autistic children and children with other emotional needs. She was loving and playful and taken away much too soon.

No other animal should suffer the same fate, including those that are legally hunted. Please join in demanding that a No Hunting & No Shoot Zone be established from Squamish to Whistler.