{"id":348243,"date":"2026-07-22T06:17:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T06:17:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/348243\/"},"modified":"2026-07-22T06:17:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T06:17:09","slug":"i-broke-down-and-cried-family-seeking-answers-after-beloved-dog-found-shot-on-their-front-porch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/348243\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I broke down and cried\u2019: Family seeking answers after beloved dog found shot on their front porch"},"content":{"rendered":"

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – A family is now offering a $5,000 reward for information after finding their dog dead on their front porch.<\/p>\n

Stoli\u2019s owner, Nicholas Belletto, says they are devastated and just want answers about how their friendly rescue dog could have ended up dead.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s traumatic, my son is traumatized,\u201d Belletto said. \u201cEvery time I close my eyes, this experience is popping up in my head.\u201d<\/p>\n

What started as a normal Sunday for the Belletto family turned into a day they will never forget. <\/p>\n

\"FamilyFamily seeking answers after beloved dog found shot on porch(Nicholas Belletto)<\/p>\n

Belletto says their almost 11-year-old dog, Stoli, was outside like usual.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe sniffs around the yard, we have two acres, but the backyard is fenced, the front yard is not fenced, but, you know, she goes out front and sniffs around the mailboxes, and does what dogs do,\u201d Belletto said.<\/p>\n

Later that afternoon, he went looking for her, but couldn\u2019t find her anywhere around the home.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe rarely wanders off and anybody that she wanders off a house or two down the street, you know, they know her because they see her all the time, so she was no threat to anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

After he says he couldn\u2019t find Stoli, Belletto got in his car and drove around the property.<\/p>\n

When he returned home just a few minutes later, he found Stoli dead on the front porch.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a world of emotions, I didn\u2019t know what to do, how to feel,\u201d Belletto said. \u201cOf course, I broke down and cried, shouted and screamed.<\/p>\n

Belletto says Stoli was lying in a puddle of blood with a gunshot wound. It\u2019s something neighbors in this tight-knit community say they can\u2019t understand.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost people, at least if that person lives on this street or lives nearby and has driven down the street, you\u2019ve probably seen her before and she\u2019s such a sweet dog,\u201d neighbor Adeline Smith said. \u201cI don\u2019t understand why someone would do such a nasty thing. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just, like evil, why would someone do that,\u201d another neighbor, Lila Smith, said.<\/p>\n

\"FamilyFamily seeking answers after beloved dog found shot on their porch(Nicholas Belletto)<\/p>\n

Belletto says he\u2019s grateful Stoli made it back home to the front porch before she died, but now the family just wants answers about what happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a very difficult situation having to clean up the mess that was left behind, what\u2019s left of her and then we buried her in the backyard,\u201d Belletto said.<\/p>\n

The Leon County Sheriff\u2019s Office says it is actively investigating the case and is asking anyone with information about what happened to Stoli to contact LCSO.<\/p>\n

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