It started off as a regular Sunday in Sooke. Gabe Nelson was out in his backyard, playing with his two dogs, Riptide and Silo. The pair spent most weekends together on Nelson’s rural acreage where the dogs would wander through the trees and splash in the nearby creek before returning to his workshop. But on Oct. [https://www.sookenewsmirror.com/local-news/1-dog-killed-another-fighting-for-life-following-sooke-shooting-8312377]19 [https://www.sookenewsmirror.com/local-news/1-dog-killed-another-fighting-for-life-following-sooke-shooting-8312377], that routine took a devastating turn. “I let them two of them run around the yard like they always do, and then they disappeared for a couple of minutes,” Nelson told the Sooke News Mirror. “Then Rip came screaming, yelping and running back to me.” When Nelson saw blood on Riptide (Rip), the three and a half year-old Australian shepherd, he knew something was wrong. Nelson and his mother rushed the injured dog to WAVES Veterinary clinic in Langford, while his father and a friend stayed behind to look for Silo. According to the Sooke RCMP, Silo was found dead in the driveway of a neighbouring property. Silo, a 15-year-old Norwegian elkhound-shepherd mix, had been part of the family for nearly two decades. Rip, younger and full of energy, joined the household earlier this year. The two dogs quickly bonded. “Rip really kept Silo’s energy up,” said Kaylee Peaker, Nelson’s partner. “He really got Silo acting like a puppy again.” The sudden loss of Silo, paired with Riptide’s critical injuries, have left the couple heartbroken. At the vet, Nelson said staff were initially in disbelief when he told them Riptide had been shot. “They kind of all were like, ‘We’ll take him in for a checkup,’ and I said, ‘No, you guys gotta get him in right now,’” he recalled. “We didn’t have much time.” A scan revealed the bullet had entered Riptide’s left chest, passed through his lung, diaphragm, and liver, and stopped just under the skin on his right side. The following days were spent at the veterinary hospital. “It was really expensive—really, really expensive,” Peaker said. “We didn’t get much sleep and were quite worried because he wasn’t doing well.” Over four nights, Riptide had fluid drained from his chest and abdomen multiple times. At one point, vets removed an entire litre of fluid from his chest. “They told us to keep our phones on and be prepared to come in,” Peaker said. “It was that serious.” By midweek, Rip’s condition began to improve. He was sent home with medication and strict instructions to rest. “He’s been really antsy,” Nelson said. “He really wants to play and go out, but so far he’s just kind of relaxing and healing.” Peaker said the couple has seen glimpses of his old personality returning. The emotional toll, however, remains heavy. “When I found out about Silo, I kind of dropped to the ground and screamed,” Peaker said. “It’s just been really difficult, honestly. A lot to process.” Nelson described the week as surreal. “It took me a while to really process that it was even going on,” he said. “It really sucks because my entire family doesn’t feel safe in my home now.” Since the incident, the pair said they’ve spent little time at Nelson’s property, too unsettled to return for long. “When we brought Rip home to visit Gabe’s parents, one of the neighbours was using a nail gun,” Peaker said. “I was losing my mind. Any little sound just feels so scary.” The couple said their frustration has also grown with the lack of updates on the investigation. “We’re sitting here with a dog that’s passed away and a $14,000 vet bill, and we have no information.” As of Monday morning, Sooke RCMP confirmed there are no updates to the investigation. “There is not update at this time and the investigation is still ongoing,” Sooke RCMP told Sooke News Mirror. For Nelson and Peaker, the only focus now is Rip’s recovery. A GoFundMe [https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-bring-rip-home] page to help cover the growing vet costs has surpassed $11,550 as of Oct. 27. “It feels really good, but it feels really weird,” Peaker said of the community’s response. “We’re really quiet people. It’s overwhelming, but it’s really nice to see the community come together, you don’t really get to see that much anymore.” As Rip continues to heal, the couple is holding on to small moments of relief, a wag of the tail, a familiar spark of energy, even as they mourn the loss of their longtime companion. “It’s been one of the hardest weeks of our lives,” Peaker said. “But we’re just trying to get by.” web1_251025-snm-sookedogshootingfollowup-dog_6 [https://www.bpmcdn.com/f/files/shared/feeds/gps/2025/10/web1_251025-snm-sookedogshootingfollowup-dog_6.jpg;w=960]Two dogs, Rip and Silo, were shot on a rural Sooke acreage on Sunday, Oct. 19. Sadly, Silo was killed, while Riptide has racked up $14K in vet bills. (Photo courtesy of Kaylee Peaker) web1_251025-snm-sookedogshootingfollowup-dog_5 [https://www.bpmcdn.com/f/files/shared/feeds/gps/2025/10/web1_251025-snm-sookedogshootingfollowup-dog_5.jpg;w=960]Two dogs, Rip and Silo, were shot on a rural Sooke acreage on Sunday, Oct. 19. Sadly, Silo was killed, while Riptide has racked up $14K in vet bills. (Photo courtesy of Kaylee Peaker) web1_251025-snm-sookedogshootingfollowup-dog_4 [https://www.bpmcdn.com/f/files/shared/feeds/gps/2025/10/web1_251025-snm-sookedogshootingfollowup-dog_4.jpg;w=960]Two dogs, Rip and Silo, were shot on a rural Sooke acreage on Sunday, Oct. 19. Sadly, Silo was killed, while Riptide has racked up $14K in vet bills. (Photo courtesy of Kaylee Peaker) web1_251025-snm-sookedogshootingfollowup-dog_2 [https://www.bpmcdn.com/f/files/shared/feeds/gps/2025/10/web1_251025-snm-sookedogshootingfollowup-dog_2.jpg;w=960]Two dogs, Rip and Silo, were shot on a rural Sooke acreage on Sunday, Oct. 19. Sadly, Silo was killed, while Riptide has racked up $14K in vet bills. (Photo courtesy of Kaylee Peaker) web1_251025-snm-sookedogshootingfollowup-dog_3 [https://www.bpmcdn.com/f/files/shared/feeds/gps/2025/10/web1_251025-snm-sookedogshootingfollowup-dog_3.jpg;w=960]Two dogs, Rip and Silo, were shot on a rural Sooke acreage on Sunday, Oct. 19. Sadly, Silo was killed, while Riptide has racked up $14K in vet bills. (Photo courtesy of Kaylee Peaker) web1_251025-snm-sookedogshootingfollowup-dog_1 [https://www.bpmcdn.com/f/files/shared/feeds/gps/2025/10/web1_251025-snm-sookedogshootingfollowup-dog_1.jpg;w=960]Two dogs, Rip and Silo, were shot on a rural Sooke acreage on Sunday, Oct. 19. Sadly, Silo was killed, while Riptide has racked up $14K in vet bills. (Photo courtesy of Kaylee Peaker)
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