GREENFIELD — The Greenfield Police Department is investigating who used a crossbow to shoot at geese kept as pets by a Barton Road couple.
Edward Croteau explained he went outside in late December to tend to his geese when he noticed one of them had what appeared to be a stick or piece of lumber sticking out of its neck. He got closer and saw what looked like feathers on the stick, and a small piece of metal protruding out of the other side of the goose’s neck. The bird had been shot by an arrow.
Realizing he might kill the creature if he attempted to remove the object, he brought the goose to Dr. Robert Schmidt at the South Deerfield Veterinary Clinic, where the pet’s life was saved.
“Who … would shoot an arrow into an animal like that?” he said this week.
Croteau said he was going about the same ritual more recently, with all the snow melted, when he noticed two arrows on the ground, meaning more than one had been shot at his geese. He said his son, Chris, posted angrily about the situation on Facebook and was contacted by a police officer he attended high school with. The incident is now under investigation.
Edward Croteau’s wife, Cynthia, said the perpetrator has made the couple feel uneasy and they are trying to install cameras to monitor the property.
“We shouldn’t have to do that,” she said.
Greenfield Animal Control Officer Calin Giurgiu said whoever is responsible could be charged with animal cruelty. Anyone with relevant information is encouraged to call the Greenfield Police Department at 413-773-5411 or Giurgiu at 413-522-3564.
Cynthia Croteau said there was a separate incident about three years ago in which three geese were slaughtered and dragged away. She said she and her husband have lived on Barton Road for more than 40 years and have had geese as pets for about 35. They have also raised horses, goats, ducks and a pot-bellied pig.
“We just love our animals,” she said. “They’re not just animals to us.”
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.