Miles, the Siberian husky shown in the photo below, was shot and killed by a bow hunter in Blauvelt State Park Oct. 19. The dog’s owners, Dawn and Austin Bridges, want people to know about the incident to promote public safety. There is no bow hunting allowed in that park, and even though some LoHud.com readers are chastising the owner for walking the dog off-leash, so what? The bow could just have easily hit the dog on a leash, or anyone else. And the guy took off. Read the full story after the photos and the jump…

That’s Miles with the family’s other dog, Nick. Below is the whole family.Here’s the story that appeared in The Journal News and on LoHud.com. At the end is the number to call if you have any information.

ORANGETOWN – One morning last week, Austin Bridges set out from home to walk his dogs in Tackamack Town Park, just as he did many mornings.
Minutes after heading into the woods, Bridges’ 11-year-old Siberian husky, Miles, was shot dead by a hunter using a bow and arrow.
Miles’ death has left Bridges and his wife, Dawn, in shock and grieving.
Hunting of any kind is banned in all village, town, county and state parks in Rockland.
The shooting site is within a few dozen feet of homes on Valenza Lane in Blauvelt.
“It so literally could have been a kid,” said Austin Bridges of Nyack.
“A black and white husky with a hot pink collar is not a coyote or a deer,” Dawn Bridges said.
Miles was part of the family and “was amazing,” Dawn Bridges said.
Austin Bridges drove to Tackamack to walk Miles and his 5-year-old bichon fris[0xe9], Nick. He said he let both dogs off their leashes after heading a few minutes down the trail, but both animals remained near him. Dogs are supposed to be kept on their leashes.
Bridges said he suddenly heard a “clap” noise and then Miles crying in agony.
He ran to his dog, who was bleeding profusely from both his sides. Bridges turned to call Nick closer, fearful someone was randomly shooting in the woods.
When Bridges turned back to Miles, the dog had collapsed and died.
Bridges said he yelled out and heard a man’s voice say, “Oh damn.”
“I had no idea what was going on,” Bridges said. “I just wanted to get out of the area.”
He ran out of the woods, drove home and called a friend, who urged him to call police.
Two Orangetown police officers met him at the park and they walked the trail until coming to Miles’ body.
The officers checked the wound, then followed the dog’s blood trail and determined the animal had been shot by an arrow from a bow, Bridges said.
The officers also determined the trajectory of the arrow and found marks on a tree that indicated a stand on which a hunter had been perched had been used, Bridges said.
Sgt. Sean Russo of the Orangetown police said the officers also determined that the shooting site was in Blauvelt State Park and contacted the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
The DEC also contacted the state park police.
The Orangetown officers helped Bridges carry his dog back to his car.
Bridges later buried Miles in his backyard.
The Bridges want people to know about the Oct. 19 incident to help prevent a similar occurrence .
“I’m really much more concerned with people’s safety than I am with trying to track down the person,” Austin Bridges said.
“I was walking through woods in a brown jacket, walking through briars,” Austin Bridges said. “Am I deer?”
Anyone with information regarding the case can call DEC Law Enforcement at 845-256-3013 or, after hours, at 877-457-5680.