A dog shot in the head by Jackson County sheriff’s deputies Sunday night after it had been hit by a car continued to live in a ditch off Table Rock Road until road cleanup crews happened to find it the next morning.

"He was shot and he wasn’t checked and he was left there for 14 hours," said the Rottweiler's owner, Julie Smith, who lives on Orr Drive in Central Point.

Upon finding the dog Monday morning, a Community Justice road crew contacted officials at Jackson County Animal Control, who then determined Smith was the owner. They suggested to Smith that "Max," who was suffering from a head wound and other injuries, be put to sleep. Smith later brought the 9-year-old dog’s body back to her home for burial.

On Wednesday, Smith went before Jackson County commissioners to ask the sheriff’s department for an apology for failing to get medical attention for the dog before shooting it and for not verifying that it had died.

She also criticized deputies for failing to report the whereabouts of the dead dog to road cleanup crews.

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"If there’s an apology due, we’ll certainly take care of that," said Sheriff Mike Winters, who added he would look into the incident.

Smith blames herself for forgetting to put tags on Max’s new collar. The dog escaped from the yard to play with some neighbor children before it was hit.

"I will live with the guilt the rest of my life," she said, urging other Jackson County residents to keep identification tags on their dogs.

Smith said she searched for Max Sunday night. "I have guilt as I think of driving right past him four times calling his name as he lay there suffering," she said.

Max was a constant companion for her two sons, 7-year-old Sean and 11-year-old Conner.

"Sometimes I still call his name when I come home," said Sean.

Conner said that despite rottweilers’ reputation for aggressiveness, Max never got out of control.

Smith agreed the dog didn’t have a mean bone in its body. "This dog was in no way vicious," she said. "He was my children’s best friend."

Conner said it’s been difficult living without Max. "I’m going to pretend that he’s still here," he said.

Sheriff’s Capt. Rod Countryman said a call came into the sheriff’s department at 8:18 p.m. Sunday and two deputies responded by 8:21 p.m.

He said deputies Natalie Avery and Chris Turner were advised that the dog is "possibly dangerous," he said.

By 8:41 p.m. the deputies, who had no way of contacting the owner, had shot the dog and left the scene.

Countryman said deputies are often called out to dispatch animals, particularly deer and occasionally dogs.

Countryman, who hadn’t yet interviewed the two deputies because their shifts started late Wednesday, said he doesn’t see any indication that they contacted county road crews to take care of the dog’s body. They may have had to respond to another call, he said.

Deputies probably also assumed the dog was dead. "The animal at that point appeared to be deceased," he said.

Colleen Macuk, director of the county’s animal shelter, said Community Justice crews called animal control about 10 a.m. Monday to report they had found the dog.

She said her office had no record of the sheriff’s department notifying officials of the dead dog, which is unusual. "The sheriff’s office has always been very good at notifying us," she said.

Because animal control officers don’t have the money to send someone out at night, Macuk said it is up to deputies to make the judgment whether an animal is critically injured enough to put it down.

"If the animal is lying there suffering, it would be a hard call," she said.

Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail dmann@mailtribune.com