Animal Control Shot My Friend's Dog

[cchapman84]

I just talked to a friend of mine a couple towns over, and the animal control officer shot her dog this week. The dog got loose Sunday night, and she got a call this evening from a friend who had heard that the A.C.O. had shot a rottweiler mix who was on my friend's neighbor's property. The thing is, everyone involved has a different story about what happened, including the day that the dog was shot (one guy said Monday, one guy said Friday). There were two pieces of what looked like clothesline tied to his collar, and they think he was shot in the stomach. They claim that he tried to attack them, yet they have absolutely no marks (this is a big dog, somewhere around 160#--he's rotty x St. Bernard). The A.C.O. said that he chased the dog through the woods for half an hour before he caught up to him and shot him. It looks like he was shot in the stomach. In Vermont, the law clearly states that it's only acceptable to kill an animal to stop an attack (either on a person or another domesticated animal), and that if it's done in a way that causes undue pain or suffering, then it's a felony offense. Now, from everything I've heard, being shot in the stomach is one of the most agonizing ways to die.

So, they're going to get the local humane society involved, and get an autopsy done (to see when the dog died and where he was actually shot), and call the district attorney on Monday. I'm going to get in touch with the Vermont Animal Cruelty Task Force and a fried who works for the local shelter on their behalf.

Has anyone ever dealt with this kind of thing? Any suggestions for who else to contact or what to do?

It really ----es me off, he was the sweetest dog you've ever seen, wouldn't hurt a fly. Their 3-year-old was able to hang all over him, punch him in the face, use him as a bed, and basically do anything he wanted with this dog and it never fazed him. He was really well-behaved, would sit on command, etc. and I can't imagine him attacking anyone unless he was provoked. I feel so horrible about the whole thing. The town that they live in is notoriously corrupt, certain people can get away with anything, and others get speeding tickets for going 1mph over the speed limit.

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions, support, etc.

Cameron in VT

[harley]

Well I really dont have any advice about other people to get a hold of I dont think. I do know it's not hard to see red when thinking that whole scenario through though.
Obviously in this case 2 + 2 does NOT = 4. Sounds more like = Z!!
I do know a little bit about what you mean by different people are treated different. My parents just got back from christmas shopping in me,nh, and vt (LOVE those factory outlets!!) and dad said here and there he was talking to a few people and some more or less said the same things you alluded to. They were in one little restaurant and a guy was saying he lived in the area for years and gets pulled over for something at leat once a week, there never any problem
but they make a reason, well as they were sitting there talking, the same cop that had accused him of "possible speeding" (37mph in a 35mph MAYBE), sat and watched the local construction guy fly by in his BMW pushing 75 and he turned his head. The waitress say it and said the cop is her next door neighbor and the connstruction guy just put a new septic in for the cop! So in all cases something smells a LOT bad....and it aint a septic.
I would call every animal control agency, every animal rights, every county, town, or state goverment office. And I would probably have my local news on speed dial. Even if you dont try and push it as a story, you can ask them for any information on previous incidents with animals or ACO's. Don't take an answer at face value and without at least 3 independent souces that all agree.
Just my long 2 cents. Good luck

[bgak47]

Large dogs seem to be a target for LEO's whenever they think that they can get away with killing them. Is it Practice?

[Ravenlost]

The A.C.O. said that he chased the dog through the woods for half an hour before he caught up to him and shot him.

Exactly who was the attacker? Attacking dogs don't RUN.

[FreightTrain]

Gee, a dog that was as big as a Man was running loose.... and did not " come, sit stay" when the ACO called... so what was the ACO supposed to do? turn and walk away because someone said it was friendly?? let it run off and possibly kill? so everyone can point the finger at them? i can hear the lawyers on CNN now, "Oh they could have stopped the giant dog before it killed...but did nothing."

whats it matter if the dogs 3 yr old human equivalent for a sibling can punch it in the nose without the dog doing anything? i doubt the dog, any dog, will take that from ANYONE else

its the owners fault their dog is dead... no-one else's.

its the dog owners ultimate responsibility to make sure their dog cant get loose... John Q Public has no idea how friendly "CUJO" is.

leash laws are not just to protect people, they protect dogs too

[marvella]

rule #1- never let your dogs run loose.

rule #2- see #1.

if i had a rott x st. b running through my yard for a week, i'd shoot it too.

sorry for your friends' loss, but good fence makes good neighbors.

[Beeman]

How many days was this well trained dog running loose? A dog running loose in the woods will usually chase deer which makes the dog fair game to be shot.

[Maura]

While there are other ways that Animal Control can catch a dog (nets, for instance), the ACO fellow was told that the dog attacked someone. Add that to the fact that the dog is huge, and is running in the woods where it would be diffecult or impossible to catch the dog. I'm sure he feels that his life is worth more than the dog's, and he is going to stop the dog. Few people are marksmen and would have been able to get a good shot in the head or heart. How many shots were fired? He may have taken the dog down with a bullet to the stomach, then approached and killed it with a shot through the heart.

This is very unfortunate, but the sad reality is that many people are afraid of big dogs.

[nebula5]

A dog this size loose for days-- the owners have no idea if the dog was "friendly" at this point or not. And why should an animal control officer have to have marks on him to prove the dog was attacking? If you wait til a dog this size bites you, you've waited too long.

[Ed Norman]

Running loose from Sunday night until Friday, as one guy said, is a long time. A 160 pound dog ate alot of something in that span. If it came on our land, it would not last that long. Also, check and see if the stomach shot was just an exit wound. It might have gone through the vitals and come out there.

[DrippingSprings]

so if it was a small dog youd be okay with it running loose? size has nothing to do with aggressiveness.

[cathyharrell]

Poor dog! Some people don't even try to talk to them. Large or small I always try to get them to come to me if I see a stray.

[Ruby]

There is a pack of dogs running loose here in our neck of the woods. They always come onto our property at night while my husband is asleep and can't here our dogs acting up. But if ever they are here when he's awake there will be some SSS happening.

Why people can't keep their dogs pinned up is a mystry to me. If they really care for them they will see to it they are contained for the animals protection as well as people. I could see everyone being afraid of a dog that size. Even my little schnazer puts the fear in most people. He lets us play rough and pull his mustash in play, but don't let a stranger try that.

Cathyharrell said,
"Poor dog! Some people don't even try to talk to them. Large or small I always try to get them to come to me if I see a stray."

There is no way I will try to get a stray to come to me unless it's a very young puppy, you never know how a stray will react. On that point one of our outside (in a pin) dogs came here as a stray puppy. The vet said she was not over 6 weeks old. Now she weighs about 60 lbs. and is very loveable.

[Jenn]

A teenaged woman abut my size was killed and eaten a few miles away from my prior farmette by 3 great dane mixes in '99 or so. Big dogs running loose nheed to be shot. Don't let your big dogs run loose.

[marvella]

people are in far worse danger from the "family dog" than any wild animal.

Originally Posted by Jenn

A teenaged woman abut my size was killed and eaten a few miles away from my prior farmette by 3 great dane mixes in '99 or so. Big dogs running loose nheed to be shot. Don't let your big dogs run loose.

[sullen]

I think....any one who carries a gun but can't talk down a dog doesn't deserve to have a gun. It's a DOG, people! We are the master race here. If it's that bad, shoot it in the face. A stomach shot dog is very suspect, and deserves a lynching . Good luck!

[Ozarks_1]

Originally Posted by sullen

I think....any one who carries a gun but can't talk down a dog doesn't deserve to have a gun. It's a DOG, people! We are the master race here. If it's that bad, shoot it in the face. A stomach shot dog is very suspect, and deserves a lynching . Good luck!

Hey, sullen ... how good are you with a handgun on a moving target?

[cchapman84]

I saw the dog today, and he was shot in the side, about three inches behind his shoulder...looks probably like he was hit in the lungs. Either way, in order to be shot this way, he would not have been coming toward the person. This dog has been exposed to strangers his whole life, and even on his own property he's NEVER been aggressive, not even growling. He ran off while his owners were outside, off into their own woods (they've got over 40 acres). He'd never done that before, and they looked all over for him until dark, and figured he'd come home during the night. When he wasn't home the next day, they called the local shelters, vets, etc. and put up flyers all over town. It's not like they just let him run loose unsupervised. He'd never run off before when they were outside with him (he'd slipped his collar before when they weren't home). Everyone in their neighborhood knows the dog, and knows that he's not aggressive under any kind of normal circumstances.

The only place to reach the animal control officer is the local bar. After he shot the dog, he dumped him in the woods off an old logging road. Add the multiple stories in and it seems like a big mess. I just think that if their wasn't something illegal/unethical going on, they wouldn't be so defensive and secretive about everything.

[Jennifer L.]

I'm very sorry for your friend. It's hard enough losing a dog without losing by someone killing it.

I'm a dog person, but the first time I saw a Rotty up close was when one wandered up our driveway when I was working in the garage, and I was apprehensive to say the least. He came up to the garage with a small German Shepherd sidekick and they looked the place over and went on their way, probably back several hundred feet to where some cars were parked down on the shore (I live next to Lake Ontario and on a corner where people stop to see the lake quite often). If you didn't like dogs, and it was in your yard and you had, say, small kids, I can see where you might get excited. However, these are supposed to be neighbors? Some neighbors, who call animal control instead of the owners!

They say large black dogs are the last adopted from the pound. People just don't like/trust them as well as other dogs.

The person at fault there was the dog control guy. You don't shoot dogs like that, you take them to the pound where the owner comes and gets them. As far as I know, the dog gets at least one chance like that around here, and then it STARTS TO COST MONEY TO GET THE DOG BACK. For Pete's sake, you don't shoot the dog on someone's say so. You've got a cowboy dog control guy there.

Jennifer

[Wendy]

Around here if you call the dog catcher, he will not pick the dog up unless you have it tied or caught some way. Isn't he the dog CATCHER?? All dogs picked up are destroyed according to him. They do not even take time to try to find the owners unless the dog has a tag on & it's easy. I had a big black dog show up one day dragging a huge chain behind him. He got tangled up under my rabbit cage & had chewed part of my rabbit's feet while under there. I slowly walked towards him talking calmly & would have tried to get him untangled & find the owner. He laid back his ears & growled at me something awful. So, that was the end of him. Had a rotweiler show up here one time that was the biggest baby you ever seen. Found him a new home. Had a chow show up that was dispatched because he was not a nice dog. I trust no dogs but my own. If they should happen to wander & someone shot them, I'd not hold a grudge. It would be my fault for not keeping them contained & under my supervision. Everyone can say their dog wouldn't hurt a fly, but you never know what might set even the nicest dog off. I had one that had never bitten anyone, but he did growl a few times at strangers in a way that made me wonder. Had him put down this summer because he was so deaf he did not hear the truck start that he was laying under & he got run over. He was 14. I don't trust any dog 100%. Not even my own.