First thing I would do is file a report. Did you actually sign the dogs over to the dog catcher before he set traps? If not, then the dogs were still your property (ugh, I hate the term "property" when speaking about animals, but that's what they are to the law) and your neighbor shot YOUR dog in the eyes of the law. I would press charges on the neighbor.

Unfortunately, if the local government isn't conducive to animal welfare, then there's not much you can do. You could try to contact some animal welfare groups in your area. See of the ASPCA has a local chapter in your area. They might be able to help you.

I'm hesitant to say this, but honestly, letting the dogs roam the neighborhood is rather irresponsible. And I shudder at the thought of feed store immunizations...

OMG thats absolutely terrible.... wow... idk what to say...

If you were caught shooting an animal where I live, Animal control and the Sheriff would pay you a visit. One for shooting the dog and the other for discharging a weapon in an urban area. Serious pee pee whack for that.

That's horrible! I hope you call the police. As for the dog catcher, I'd go around the neighborhood, to your school, and everywhere with a petition about them and the humane society. Someone in local government HAS to have an animal and will sympathize. You could also see if there's a rescue shelter nearby. Do you have a Petsmart in your area? They have a rescue shelter in there store.
http://www.petfinder.com/ This should show some rescue shelters in your area. I'd give them a call.

omg ! thats terrible ! im in the UK so i have no idea about your laws etc but i would have gone to the local police station. like primal said, im sure the animals are still classed as yours if you havnt officially signed them over. plus firing a weapon out in public? sounds like an offence to me... hope you get it sorted

http://www.indiana-paw.com/faq.htm#found
"Someone I Know Is Neglecting Or Abusing Their Pet. What Should I Do?"

Sadly, in Indiana, pets are legally considered to be nothing more than property. Thus, owners have tremendous latitude regarding the care they provide (or fail to provide) to their pets. Consequently, many communities in Indiana tolerate behavior that most people would consider to be mistreatment of animals. Click here to find Indianapolis laws regarding animals -- see Chapter 531 for animal ordinances, a well as the chapter regarding roles and responsibilities of the Animal Care & Control Division, and the Animal Care & Control Board. If you see someone abusing or neglecting their pets, Indiana-PAW does not have any police power, but we strongly encourage you to take the following steps:

* Call Your Local Animal Abuse Hotline: If you visit our Indiana-PAW resources page, you can find a list of animal abuse hotlines for various Indiana cities and counties, and we encourage you to call those numbers. There are also several Indiana groups that work to help abused or neglected animals (such as FIDO - Friends of Indianapolis Dogs Outside), and that help free-roaming cats (such as IndyFeral).
* Contact Local Animal Control/Humane Society: In abuse situations, your local county may have assigned responsibility to the local humane society or animal shelter to handle abuse or neglect cases. You can find contact information for every humane society and animal shelter in Indiana at the Indiana-PAW "Super Database" at our website. Even if they can't help, they may be able to tell you who can.
* Contact Your Local Law Enforcement: In some parts of Indiana, the local animal shelter has no police power over abuse/neglect cases. In those areas, if you see abuse or neglet of an animal, you need to call your local law enforcement. So, grab your phone book and start calling the non-emergency numbers for your local police or sheriff.
* Change Your Local Laws: Sadly, in many parts of Indiana, things that most of us would consider animal abuse (e.g., keeping a dog chained in a yard excessivley) is technically not illegal. In those cases, you should consider devoting your time and energy to working to get laws on the books that more accurately reflect the important role that animals play in enriching our lives. If you want to learn about animal welfare legislation, consider getting involved with a group like the Animal Advocacy Network of Indiana (AANI).

Good luck in gaining help for the animal you've observed being mistreated, and thank you for caring.

Try your best to find someone to care for these dogs, even if it's in another state.

The problem of animal abuse, and pet overpopulation is a serious, ongoing problem, that's only getting worse right now because of the economic situation.

It's heartbreaking, but the solution is to get involved on the front end, by spaying and neutering all of your pets and not letting pets roam, by advocating this to your community, and supporting the shelters.

By the time stray mothers with 9 puppies show up on your doorstep, it's pretty much too late.

I wanna start a rescue shelter if teaching doesn't work out for me.

Id be calling the local news stations and telling them the story. Here in Indiana they are very against animal abuse.

ooooohhh.... that's a great idea Jen! I don't mean to sound morbid but the public loves drama so they'd be interested in it and it would give the dog catcher and the humane society some grief!

That's awful... I don't really know what to say... I hope someone gets a visit from the police about it though

Thats so horrible! I hope you can find some way to sort this out, and I hope your neighbour and the shelter get more than a mere slap on the hand,....everything that you described that they did was heartless and unfathomable to me. I agree with whats mentioned above, get the media involved, let the local people know what's going on, file complains and reports. Let everyone know that this problem is a big one that needs to be dealt with. I wish the lots of luck

Here's what a bunch of tattooed bikers did--started their own animal aid society. "Coming soon to an abuser near you . . . " Maybe you should give them a call.

Rescue Ink

Srsly. They have a hotline.

Along with local news stations I'd be sending something in to the local newspapers telling them about it. Even if it's just an editorial, at least something might get out about it.