SALISBURY - One of two dogs missing after being frightened by fireworks on Monday night has been safely located.

"Lily," the border collie is now back home and safe.

"She was dirty, scared, her foot pads are very very tender and sore," Lily's owner Juliah Smith told WBTV.   "She was limping on one of them, she was covered in ticks, I pulled several ticks off of her, she just was...terrified."

Juliah says Lily may have traveled 10-12 miles.  Her collar was found in the parking lot of Ivan's Restaurant, Lily's home is near downtown Salisbury near Church Street.

Kent Bernhardt's black lab mix, "Buddy, the Wonder Dog," is still on the loose.  Bernhardt is asking neighbors in Milford Hills, Milford Knoll, Meadowbrook, and the Crescent to help in locating the dog.

"I'm very optimistic, I think it's a caring community, people are keep

SALISBURY - A Rowan County man has reported the theft of a pony from his backyard.

Jose Nicholas Ruano Ayala reported that sometime between 11 pm Saturday night and 10:30 am Sunday morning, someone untied his pony and took it out a gate at the back of his property on Briarwood Terrace.

The owner told deputies that he was positive that the pony had been secure.  He told them the rope was tied with a knot "that could not have been untied."

The pony, valued at $1500, is described as "buckskin" colored with a white star on its nose and white patch on its upper chest.  The pony is 4 years old.

Deputies have no leads or suspects in the case.  They're asking anyone with information to call 704-216-8700.

SALISBURY - Veteran Animal Control officers say it's one the most shocking cases of animal cruelty they've ever seen, and now they're trying to find who could be responsible.

"We had a call, lady called in saying that there were eight dead cats out on the side of the road, Leonard Road," Clai Martin, Rowan County Animal Control Supervisor told WBTV on Thursday. 

"There was a box out there, we feel like the cats were dumped in the box, put on the side of the road.  My officer responded, when my officer got out there the box was flattened, the cats were laying on the side of the road.  There were eight cats and there was an opossum. What we found when we brought them back here was that all but one had been shot in the head, between the eyes.  We feel like the cats were probably trapped and then shot."