RATHDRUM — Tyanne Lash was "completely devastated" when she learned that Toby, the family mule of 15 years, was shot and killed on Monday morning.

"It made me sick to my stomach," the Rathdrum-area resident said. "Thinking that someone would shoot an animal like that doesn't make sense."

When Lash's husband, Kyle, went to feed the horses and Toby near their home on Highway 53, he noticed that Toby wasn't around.

"Toby never leaves the horses because they're his friends," Tyanne said.

Moments later, near the arena where the family rides, Toby was found dead with a single gunshot wound in the middle of his chest.

"My daughter (3-year-old Regan) plays in the pasture with the horses and she could have been shot," Tyanne said. "It could have hit someone or a house. It was really dangerous."

Tyanne said no one heard the gunshot, but the family believes Toby was shot Monday morning because his body was still warm when he was found around noon on Monday despite freezing temperatures.

"We do not know who shot him or why, but we want to bring attention to this so others can protect their animals," Tyanne said.

A deputy told the family it appeared Toby, who was 27 years old, was shot with a hunting rifle.

"It left a pretty big hole," Tyanne said.

She is at a loss to understand why someone would shoot the mule.

"We don't know if someone was poaching because he kind of looked like a moose, but you would have thought that they saw the horses around him," she said. "Two of the horses are white. It looks to me like it was more malicious than anything."

Toby was found in a pasture off Hoyt Road about 100 yards from the house.

Tyanne said he was a reliable mule that was ridden on pack trips by her grandpa, Don Jacklin, and also by Regan and other family members.

"He's one of the best mules we've had," Tyanne said. "My daughter rode him because he was a good, all-around family mule."