FL Woman Who Shot Dogs 173 Times With BB Gun Sentenced: Police

HERNANDO COUNTY, FL — A Hernando County woman will spend five years in prison after authorities said she shot her dogs more than 170 times with a gas-powered BB gun at her Spring Hill home.

Jamie Lynn Kujawa, 39, was sentenced to jail time Tuesday after she was convicted of multiple counts of animal cruelty, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office confirmed in a release.

According to authorities, the sheriff's office was first called to Kujawa's home in April 2022 after a witness working outside reported that he heard the sound of a BB gun firing followed by dogs yelping.

After authorities arrived, Kujawa told police she didn't own a BB gun and was unable to provide proof of vaccination for her dogs when authorities requested it.

Authorities then inspected her dogs and noticed they had various injuries and scarring on their feet and paws. An animal control officer discovered one of the dogs appeared to be in worse condition than the others with numerous fresh puncture wounds to its paws and legs.

According to police, Kujawa told deputies the dogs were involved in a fight. Authorities left the home after giving Kujawa a verbal warning for having unvaccinated dogs.

A deputy returned a day later and, after speaking to Kujawa's next-door neighbor, noticed three of her dogs limping as they walked in the backyard. After requesting to examine the dogs, the deputy discovered two of the animals had fresh wounds on their front paws and legs.

In the following week, animal control officers checked on the welfare of the dogs several times, authorities said, before Kujawa surrendered two of the three dogs to Hernando County Animal Services, stating she couldn't afford to take them to a veterinarian.

Several days later, a veterinarian examined one of the dogs and removed a lead pellet from its paw. Both dogs were sent for x-rays, where the veterinarian discovered more than 130 BBs and more than 40 lead pellets lodged in their legs, torsos and heads.

Kujawa was arrested and charged in May 2022. She later told police she used a gas-powered BB gun to shoot the dogs when they attempted to dig under her fence. She said she had been shooting the dogs for approximately two months.

The other animals in Kujawa's home — the third dog, three cats, a ferret and a bird — were removed from her home. An investigation into the treatment of those animals is currently underway, authorities said.