ST. GEORGE – The former owners of a pit bull that was shot by an arrow last week – nicknamed “Sarge” by his rescuers – have come forward seeking to reclaim their pet and to help police find the person who shot him.
“I hope we get him back home,” Hailey Farnsworth, of St. George, said.
After seeing news reports with photos of her former dog, whose real name is Bane, Farnsworth contacted the Ivins Animal Shelter and also talked to Sgt. Kurt Bowen, of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, who found the dog shot and left for dead Friday morning. Farnsworth said she hopes the information she has given Bowen will help lead to the arrest of the person responsible for shooting the 1-year-old pit bull – and that she’ll be able to bring Bane back home to live with her family.
“I told the lady at the shelter, and I told the detective, if we can, we’d really like to get him back,” Farnsworth said.
Farnsworth originally adopted Bane from a family whose grandson had left for school and wasn’t taking the dog with him. She told them if they ever decided to give the dog away that she would like to have him, her mom, Diane Chaffin, said. Two days later, Farnsworth received a call from the people telling her she could come pick up the pit bull.
“She fell in love with that dog,” Chaffin said.
But Farnsworth later moved into an apartment where she wasn’t allowed to have a dog, so some friends temporarily took Bane into their home.
“We kept him at a friend’s house because we couldn’t have him in the apartment we were in,” Farnsworth said.
But Farnsworth’s friends had dogs of their own that didn’t like the docile pit bull and didn’t adjust well to having another dog in the house. After a time, Farnsworth brought the pit bull back home again, disregarding the no pet policy at her apartment building in favor of having her dog back. But she and her boyfriend were working a lot, she said, and the pit bull got restless in the small apartment and began chewing up furniture and getting into the garbage.
“We worked so much that we didn’t have time to go take him out on walks and things,” Farnsworth said.
Farnsworth ultimately decided Bane would be happier in a place where he could run and play, and she made the difficult decision to find a new home for him.
“It was really hard for her to give him away, because she was just afraid somebody was going to hurt him,” Chaffin said. “Because that’s what people do with those kind of dogs.”
But through a Craigslist ad, Farnsworth found what she hoped would be the perfect new home for Bane. A man answered the ad and said he was a soldier recently returned from Iraq, and that he had trained dogs during his time in the military and would like to bring Bane home to live with his family.
“He seemed a nice enough guy,” Farnsworth said. “The dog seemed to like them, and they seemed to like him.”
So near the end of May, Farnsworth gave Bane to the soldier and his family, hoping they would take good care of the dog and give him the space he needed to run. Less than three months later, however, Farnsworth began seeing news reports that her beloved pit bull had been shot with an arrow and left for dead in the desert west of Ivins.
She said she doesn’t know whether the soldier played any part in Bane’s shooting; but if he didn’t, she wonders why he and his family haven’t been looking for the dog and haven’t come forward now that he’s been found and there has been so much publicity about him in the news.
“If they lost the dog, and if they’re not looking for it, it kind of draws its own conclusion, I guess,” Farnsworth said.
Farnsworth is cooperating with the Sheriff’s Office to help them locate the family that took Bane in, in hopes it will ultimately lead them to the person responsible for shooting the dog.
“They really want to find out who did this,” Chaffin said.
Farnsworth said she is now expecting her first baby and has since moved from the small apartment into a townhome, where Bane would have more room to run and play. She and her boyfriend are also in the process of buying a house, she said, and she’s going to be a stay-at-home mom once her baby is born, which will enable her to be home with the dog and give him the exercise he needs.
“Hopefully they’ll give the dog back to us,” Farnsworth said.
Meanwhile, Bane/Sarge is in a foster home recovering from surgery. While he heals, the dog is also providing some healing magic of his own.
John and Betsy Kolb, of Ivins, are fostering Bane/Sarge while the dog recovers. John Kolb said their own dog passed away in February, and while his wife helps the pit bull recover, the dog is helping her heal, too.
“I see that spark of motherhood coming back into Betsy,” John Kolb said.
“It’s healing both (of them),” he added.
The pit bull is doing well, John Kolb said. Now that the drugs from surgery are wearing off, the dog is beginning to play and become active again.
“Sarge is just bouncing with joy that’s he’s alive,” John Kolb said.
Related posts
- ‘Sarge’ update: pit bull shot with arrow recovering in new foster home
- Pit bull found shot by arrow in desert near Ivins, left for dead
- Mysterious cat mutilation; owner seeks answers, offers $2,500 reward
- Cat found with blow darts pierced through skull
- Cat impaled by arrow recovering, investigation ongoing
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Please don’t give this poor dog back to Farnsworth! What in her life has changed that she can give this poor animal a home? Is she still in the apartment, is she still working.? It’s her poor decisions that have lead to this poor dogs suffering. You can say how much you love this dog all day long but your actions don’t show it. First ! If you loved the dog that much why would you move into a apartment that doesn’t allow pets. Give me a break!
Speakthetruth? When you KNOW what the truth is, then you may speak. Until then, shut UP! You know NOTHING. Give you a break? Indeed, you are already broken. It’s all good, hiding behind some online persona, trolling around finding stories to comment on. Never once thinking yourself the bully that you are.
Obviously you didn’t read the entire article. I suggest you read it, you will answer your own questions, and probably feel stupid for your judgement of this woman.
Geez, what a mess. That poor dog being passed around like an old couch
“Hopefully they’ll give the dog back to us,” Farnsworth said.
You must be freakin’ kidding!
Let’s see, you couldn’t take care of the dog to begin with. You moved into an apartment that did not allow pets. You gave him to people who had other pets and Sarge or those friends of yours didn’t adjust well. So, you took him back KNOWING you could not have pets and apparently you did not have the time. Then you gave him away AGAIN to a stranger and we know how that turned out. NOW you want him back and you’re expecting??? If you did not have time for him BEFORE getting preggers, what makes you think you’ll have time after your baby arrives? Frankly, if you took him back I expect to see a Craigslist Ad stating you can’t keep up with him and the baby and need to give him away…yet again! Go get a pet rock.
You Gotta Be Kidding; You know absolutely NOTHING about this woman, or her circumstances yet you feel perfectly justified in judging her? Do you know how much good you could do in this world if you would turn all this negative energy around and make something positive out of your life? I feel desperately sorry for you.
OMG, do NOT take this dog in if you’re having a baby! I don’t care how many dollar signs are in your eyes from donations!
David; Dollar signs? Donations? Serioulsly? She is not, nor was she ever looking for donations!! And what, pray tell, does her pregnancy have to do with anything? If you can’t make a coherent comment, please SHUT UP!
Hmm, what could being pregnant have to do with owning a pit bull. I wonder… https://www.google.com/search?q=pit+bull+kills+year+old Pit bulls are very friendly to kids right up until the second they aren’t, then they kill or mame them in seconds. And it isn’t just other peoples dogs, family pit bulls kill family members a lot. It http://www.theledger.com/article/20100414/NEWS/4145045 happens http://wgno.com/2014/03/26/5-year-old-girl-killed-in-pit-bull-attack/#axzz3Arh4Azar all http://www.wfmynews2.com/story/news/local/2014/02/24/police-three-year-old-dead-after-attacked-by-pit-bull/5798969/ the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_States time http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_States.
Good heavens! Why are you attacking me and being so negative?
Why Utah Dixie boys resort to bows and arrows to shoot animals: Dang! Dem Dixie boys are stupid! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFm09W9CjS4
agreed, the original owner should NOT have this dog back, especially with a new baby on the way. In general…. DO NOT EVER put an animal up for adoption for free on Craigslist!!! EVER !! that’s where horrible evil people go to find unwanted pets to torture.
Again, what does her pregnancy have to do with ANYTHING? She made a mistake. A mistake she has been torturing herself about since this story broke! Put yourself in her shoes, for just one second. Had to give away the pet she loved only to find out a few months later that some evil pile of excrement SHOT him and left him to die. Think about the stress. Think about being in the middle of a “shaky at best” pregnancy at the same time. Instead of being lauded for stepping forward to help find the useless piece of garbage that nearly killed the dog, she is being attacked. SHAME ON ALL OF YOU!!!!!!!!!!!
I suspect Child Protective Services are in this soon-to-be mother’s future. I hope the dog finds a good – and different – home.
Excuse you? You don’t know that woman. At all. You know a tragic story and yes, she obviously made a few bad decisions regarding her dog. Was she broken up about it? Yes. Is she at least trying to do the right thing by giving what information she has on the man she gave him to, even if she doesn’t get him back? Yes. Has she been constantly posting guilty messages on FB? Yes. Do YOU have ANY right to speculate on the type of mother she’ll be or the lifestyle she’ll live based on the VERY LITTLE information posted in this article? ABSOLUTELY NOT.
By the way, the reason I know everything SHE’S going through right now (not even EXPECTING the dog back, but hopeful and willing to take him in and give him the home she WISHED she could have when she had to give him away) is because Hailey is my sister, Mr. Jump-the-Gun Judgemental.
Lance. You know nothing about this young lady. She got this dog as a pup has raised him to be a good and gentle animal. Then she move into I a condo where she couldn’t have a dog for a pet because of the rent conditions. She advertised on Craigslist to find an owner who she would love the dog as much as she did. She let him go with a heavy heart, feeling like she had made the best choice for him. Then she heard on the news the story about this terrible thing done to this dog. She has been so heart sick and upset by what has happened, and has been blaming herself ALL DAY LONG for it. She is expecting a baby, having some problems, and should not be so torn up by this. She still loves that dog and would take him back in a heartbeat, but probably won’t be able too. It’s hopeful the foster family will try to keep him. If not, then we will go from there. But please pull in your horns and give this girl a chance to the right thing for this beloved pet. I’ll bet you have made a few bad mistakes in your life too Lance!!
Lance; You’re a brave one, hiding behind your anonimity on the internet. I double DARE you to bring your idocy face to face with me. Cowardly waste of skin………….
Lance, this is really low. We are talking about a dog not a child. From what I gather Farnsworth did what she could for the dog. She didn’t just drop it off at the pound (or worse in the desert like some people do); she actually found a new home for him.
Good god I hope the original owner does not hget this dog back. She’s a mess! Gave him away twice, on CRAIGS LIST ffs…. Bait dogs are found on craigs list. She, moved into a non animal apartment and now shes having a baby? They will give that poor dog up again. No way should they give the dog back to them!!! I really hope the foster parents get to keep him for the dog and the foster. They both seem to need it.
This women didn’t even neuter him..a hard to handle breed dog in an apartment not neutered? Until this girl gets a clue..NO PETS
The original owner is my sister, and she did the best that she knew how to find him a good home; a man that very much seemed like a good family for him to go to. She is no longer in a non-animal apartment, and finally in a position where she CAN take care of him. I have NEVER known her to just give pets away. I know how broken up she was when she had to give him up, and how traumatized she is to find out that what she thought was a good home -with a returned vet that TRAINED dogs- wasn’t. I’ve been watching her heart-broken and guilty posts all day, and I hope she DOES get him back. She’s been better with her fur babies than even I’ve been with mine, and I know that if it hadn’t been absolutely necessary for her to rehome him, she wouldn’t have.
I lived in the same apartment complex with this girl and I seen her smoking cigarettes many times while pregnant. She is no good.
Again, you know nothing of her situation. Just for the record, she DID quit – a while ago. Also, it’s “I saw” not “I seen.” If you’re going to insult someone you really don’t even know, you could at least use proper grammar while doing so.
Bill S. If you EVER call this girl “no good” again, you better pack your crap and get the hell out of Utah! “This girl” is my granddaughter, and one of the sweetest, caring most loving girls that I know. Until you know ALL the facts about her, I suggest you keep your stupid, loud, un-asked for thoughts and comments to yourself!!
Bill S; You, sir, are a moron. Call my niece “no good” to my face and see what happens then, you bullying pile of garbage. HOW DARE YOU????? Oh wait, you dare because it’s all nice and anonymous on the internet. Let me define the big word for you… Anonymous: Hiding your chicken squirt self behind a “Screen Name”. Bah……….. Useless, you are.
This poor kid. Her family is bananas.
Yeah, we are. Better than being ignorant ….
Ed. ellipsis.
Yes indeed. We are all bananas. **eye roll** Except that we aren’t. What would you do David? How would you react to random, anonymous people attacking, bullying, verbally abusing her, and all of the rest of us as well? Would you be content to sit back and allow it? Would you be okay with someone (anyone?) calling your niece, sister, daughter, granddaughter, or mother “worthless”, “no good”, or my personal favorite, “white trash”? Can you honestly tell me that she deserves any of this? She came forward to try to find the perpetrator of a violent crime. Now, because she chose to tell (part of) her story, she is being blamed for it all. It is so very sad that people feel so comfortable being so very nasty because they are protected by screen names. My faith in humanity, which was tenuous at best, has been further damaged by this. And Hailey’s has hit bottom. So yeah, we are all just a bunch of crazies….. Thanks for noticing.
If you all don’t think she should get the dog back, that’s fine. Just stick to the facts, and stop with the personal attacks on her character, please.
Fact here is she is irresponsible. Not fixing a pit bull? Giving an unfixed pit bull away to an unknown person? head slap…
The fact here is not a lack of responsibility, it’s a lack of understanding. Yeah, maybe she should have looked into what should be done for pits as pets. Should she have handed him over to a shelter that would have likely put him down or hey, someone might have adopted him for the VERY small fee that most shelters charge, taken him out and shot him with an arrow?! Or maybe she should have driven him out into the middle of nowhere like someone else obviously did. She did what she could to find the dog a new home, and she’s doing what she can now to help find the person that hurt the dog.
The dog has already been injured. You don’t need to assault the character of a person that’s trying to help.
I don’t want to read about a 13 month old kid mauled in a year from now because it was crawling on this dog.
Listen UP you all; My niece stepped forward to help find the evil (expletive here) who did this to Sarge/Bane. Now, a whole bunch of people, who have never actually met her (one of you ‘seen’ her) think you have the right to judge her. This is nothing less than Bullying. It is also slanderous. You all should be ashamed of yourselves! What? You all are perfect? None of you have ever made a single mistake or error in judgement? Not one of you has ever made a mis-step in your whole lives? Wow! Isn’t it a grand world when there are so many perfect beings in it? Each of you should go look in the mirror, and think how you would feel if you were attacked the way my niece has been in these comments. Shame on you! All of you! Nothing more than grown up versions of school yard bullies! And YOU are the examples for your children to follow………….. Truly terrifying.
Plenty of perfectly respectable people use Craigslist. It’s not even the slightest bit her fault that the guy wasn’t what he seemed. Its hard to have any respect for all these people bashing on a person that was honestly trying to give the dog the best life it could possibly have and not saying a single thing about the disgusting excuse of a person that actually did this to him.
Infants and pit bull dogs DO NOT mix well. Trust me….I know this from past experience.
I’m glad you are all so perfect. You’ve never made a poor decision? It was not a poor decision to try to give Bain a better life. We all have problems arise. If you haven’t, I am truely happy for you. You don’t know the full reason for her decision and until you do, you should no be making assumtions and cutting her down. We don’t know that the person who took him did this to him either. Bain was happy, very loved and well taken care of while he was with her. She is extremely devistated at what has happened and has worried about his well being this whole time, hoping she picked the right family to love him. I have a friend that knows the foster family well, and she knows (through them) that they are wonderful people for him to be with. She is perfectly happy knowing that he is in a good place. If that were not the case she would do everything in her power to get him back and make things right. He is a very genlte, loving dog and deserves that same love. Whatever happens, all we can do is hope and pray the he is never mistreated again. Please know what you’re talking about before you put blame in the wrong place.
you people are so dumb. do y’all know how many big dumb dogs are killed in shelters every day… try not to get hung up on this one…
Bobber, take your meds or I’ll pull your day pass..
Ha, ha, ha!!!
Decision #1 “…Farnsworth later moved into an apartment where she wasn’t allowed to have a dog.”
Decision #2 “We kept him at a friend’s house …””… friends had dogs of their own that didn’t like the docile pit bull and didn’t adjust well to having another dog in the house…”
Decision #3 “… Farnsworth brought the pit bull back home again, disregarding the no pet policy at her apartment building…”
Decision#4 “We worked so much that we didn’t have time to go take him out on walks and things,” Farnsworth said.
Finding a new home on Craigslist is not that unusual. Lots of people find happy endings on Craigslist. Unfortunately, this wasn’t one of them.
None of this is made up or judgmental It’s all statements from Farnsworth re: Sarge. If she didn’t have enough time for him before, what makes anyone believe she’ll have time after a baby arrives? I understand her family members being passionate in defending her, however, the comments everyone is making here are based on her statements. They are based on her decisions. Everyone here wants the BEST home for Sarge. I’m sure Farnsworth does too.
Yet another reminder that putting animals up for sale or rehoming on Craig’s List is a horrible idea. Too often, these animals are met with horrible fates. PLEASE DO NOT ADVERTISE YOUR ANIMALS ON CRAIGSLIST. Same goes for “Free to Good Home” ads on ANY ad source.
As I sit here reading the comments, I am appalled. Please do not give this woman her dog back. Please give the dog to a family that actually takes care of it, thinks about it and makes it a like a child. It is obvious that this woman does not consider the dog like family or she would not have given the dog up to the first person that came calling on craigslist. The behavior if her various family members, one in particular “FARNSWORTH’S AUNT” is very telling of the kind of environment in which she was raised and in which the dog lived when he was with this woman. On more then one occasion here “FARNSWORTH’S AUNT” called people horrible names and even implied violence more then once saying in part, ” call my niece ” no good” to my face and see what happens then, you bullying pile of garbage”. I will say this as clearly as I can, THIS DOG SHOULD NOT GO BACK TO THE CARE OF THIS WOMAN. I think it’s pretty obvious that despite what her “Aunt” says, this woman does not care about this dog.
Again, another person making an assumption not just about Hailey herself, but her whole family! Tell me, if someone was saying these things about YOUR family members, would you jut sit back and not say anything about it?
How about I be presumptuous, now.
You probably would.
Of course I would say something but i would not threaten violence or call people names nor would anyone else in my family. The woman I quoted made indirect threats of violence and used obscenities on more then one occasion. Simply put, she was in the wrong.
About the womans ability to care for this dog, here are the facts as presented in the article:
But Farnsworth later moved into an apartment where she wasn’t allowed to have a dog, so some friends temporarily took Bane into their home.
“We kept him at a friend’s house because we couldn’t have him in the apartment we were in,” Farnsworth said.
But Farnsworth’s friends had dogs of their own that didn’t like the docile pit bull and didn’t adjust well to having another dog in the house. After a time, Farnsworth brought the pit bull back home again, disregarding the no pet policy at her apartment building in favor of having her dog back. But she and her boyfriend were working a lot, she said, and the pit bull got restless in the small apartment and began chewing up furniture and getting into the garbage.
“We worked so much that we didn’t have time to go take him out on walks and things,” Farnsworth said.
Farnsworth ultimately decided Bane would be happier in a place where he could run and play
Farnsworth ultimately decided Bane would be happier in a place where he could run and play, and she made the difficult decision to find a new home for him.
“It was really hard for her to give him away, because she was just afraid somebody was going to hurt him,” Chaffin said. “Because that’s what people do with those kind of dogs.”
But through a Craigslist ad, Farnsworth found what she hoped would be the perfect new home for Bane. A man answered the ad and said he was a soldier recently returned from Iraq, and that he had trained dogs during his time in the military and would like to bring Bane home to live with his family.
Simone, please feel free to attack FARNSWORTH’S AUNT all you wish. You stated that she(I) called people horrible names… shall we get into what names my niece, and now, my entire family have been called? “Worthless”, “No good” “Bananas”, and my personal favorite, “White Trash”. In response to your assumption that I was threatening anyone, let me ask you this. Do you truly believe that anyone of the nasty commentators would actually speak to my niece like that if they were looking her in the eye? Do you think that anyone, yourself included, would be so utterly presumptuous as to talk to me about my family if they, or you, were sitting across from me at my desk, or at a table in a restaurant? This was not a threat, but an observation of human nature. Do you think I would react with violence? Sorry to disappoint you, but I have a career to think about, and I have no need for violence. My vocabulary is sufficient to defend myself or my family. You, just like every other negative commentator have made assumptions about the character of my family and me, and you have proven my point for me. Thank you for that.
Truth be told I would hope someone would say something to your niece if they didn’t think she could adequately take care of the dog. I’m sure you”ll agree that the derogatory names are not needed but a simple “are you really sure you can take care of it with a baby on the way”? Would be a sufficient reminder.
Also, let’s not forget that you have called people on this thread horrible names as well. Does the fact that some anonymous commenters called your family a few names mean that it is ok for you to do it too?
Oh? And where exactly have you heard that? I’d like to know which name we slap the defamation of character suit on, for spreading something that is obviously meant to slander her or get her into trouble and is absolutely untrue.
If she knew who did this, you can bet your rear she’d be the first person to report it. Oh wait, ha, she WAS the first person to report everything she knew!
As someone who has occasionally encountered Hailey & her family,…* Sounds mean to say, and I only bother to say it out of concern for the dog — I really pray the dog doesn’t get back to Hailey.
Of course, it is normal for …* the family to try to defend Hailey — …* If any family members want to attack me for sharing my opinion, please answer one question first:
How many other dogs has Hailey & her family had, and gotten rid of over the past couple years for various excuses? I think at least two besides this most recent case.
For the sake of the dog, which has suffered enough & has always deserved better, please Hailey, just focus on your out-of-wedlock baby and forget about any pets — you don’t have the physical ability or sense of responsibility to properly care for anything besides a pet rock.
Ed. ellipses …*
Who are you again? I do not recall ever meeting you Scott. Awfully presumptuous of you to include the entire family in your negative rant. Especially as you know nothing of who we all are. But with one line in your comment, I can immediately tell what kind of person you are. “Out of wedlock baby”. Telling, that. Judgemental much?
She won’t get Sarge back, she gave him up. She also doesn’t deserve the dog back because….
– She gave him up
-She gave him away on craigslist
-She did not neuter him before giving him away
-She clearly doesn’t understand his exercise needs. I don’t care how much you work, you don’t take in a large breed dog without planning on walking them a minimum of an hour per day. Also, it doesn’t matter how much space you have. A big house is just a bigger kennel. They need to be walked, jogged, etc. EVERY DAY!
-She clearly doesn’t know how to be a responsible dog owner so with a baby on the way… it will on get worse
-She is partially responsible for this sweet dog’s fate. Make sure you know exactly who your dog is going to. Or don’t give them up in the first place. They are not a sweater you just return.
This dog has been in 5 different homes already, let’s get him in a RESPONSIBLE and STABLE home where he can be well taken care of the REST of his life. He deserves much better than what’s been given to him and needs to be far away from anyone in his past and start a new beginning with a perfect family for him.
Good luck Sarge! I know your perfect FOREVER family will find you!!! Stay strong!!!
First off, the woman should not get the dog back. Second, stop the personal attacks on her. Third, and most importantly, find the sicko that shot the dog.
I don’t know the complete circumstances so I will not judge. All I know is that the press (or police) should never given out this young girls name. Crazies come out of the woodwork at times like this. Look at some of the hateful people that posted horrible things to Robin Williams daughter after her dad took his life. Why? What kind of people are out there. Leave the poor girl alone. I am sure she feels bad enough. Haven’t any of you people ever made a mistake. Let he that is without sin cast the first stone!! Stop this venomous attack!
Thank you Dog Lover. Nice to see something positive, finally, on this thread.
Sarnworth, Farmsworth, like the dog, the owner has multiple ailiases.
All these people hating on Farnsworth, yet, she is the one that stepped forward…..If she left it for dead, why would she even care? Obviously her story seems to make sense, Would I send the dog home with her giving her unstable past with the dog? Probably not, but that in no way makes or means she is a horrible person.
After reading all of these comments I have just one question: Does anyone have positive proof that this is the actual dog that Ms Farnsworth gave up several months ago? There are a lot of intact (not neutered) black male pit bulls in the big old west and I would venture that most have white markings. Only a microchip can be proof positive of ownership.