Our Dog Was Shot

[Mountain Sunshine]

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Again, he may not have been in anyone's yard. If you read the thread you would have read that. There is a very good chance that he was in the woods. And I am sure that if anything happened to the "owner of the property who shot my dog" is just fine or we would have been contacted.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Unless they didn't know whose dog it was. It could have been someone house-sitting and was told by one of your neighbors to protect the property, or someone who was housesitting that didn't know the dog. Either way, it was an accident. Yours for your dog being out in an area where he should not have been and the person's for shooting IF there was not a reason to shoot.

I suppose I'm more sided towards the person that shot. Which is better? If the dog does not have tags and is barking, nipping, attacking, growling, etc. then I'm going to protect myself. If the dog does not have tags, I'm going to assume stray. If it is a stray, why would I shoot to injure and maim instead of end it's life fast and swiftly? I cannot see a reasoning in shooting to injure.

I am sorry that your dog was injured and I'm sorry for what your family is having to go through in this tough and trying time. I wish the best for you and your pet.

 

[Buff Hooligans]

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Interesting viewpoints were presented, but I think that's what everybody wishes you, at the end of the day.

 

[Royd Wood]

What a beautiful looking dog and glad he's on the mend. So let me get this right - No farm animals / chickens near by - just woods and a few houses - a shot is fired - dog at door in less than 1 minute Well thank god my kids dont play around those woods - maybe a drive by shooting ?????????? Speedy recovery for all of you

 

[SarahBeth9394]

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It really doesn't matter where Shadow was as he wasn't contained in your yard. He may not intimidate you but after seeing his picture many people would be scared of him if he were running up to their kids or skulking around them. He's a dog of a breed with a strong prey drive so it wouldn't be beyond belief that he could have been doing what comes naturally to him. You weren't there to see why he got shot. Why not just take your lumps and say "wow I blew it. I didnt' contain my dog and he got shot" instead of giving a litany as to why he "just wouldn't harm anything". We'd still offer our sympathy's and well wishes for your dog.

I do not think I "Blew it". And I still believe that people should call animal control or come to the owner before taking it upon themselves to shoot an animal. And he does not look intimidating, he is just a dog! And it does matter where he was IF he wasn't in someone's yard, if it was in the woods right behind our house, then they have no right to shoot!
I took my lumps as you call it when he came back into the house bleeding and I had to rush him to the vet! I didn't post this story for you or others to berate me on how it was my fault. I was upset and worried about my dog so I posted the story.

So you don't feel that you bear any responsibility for not containing your animal which resulted in it getting shot. As joebryant said husky's are intimidating looking. I think they are beautiful. But if one were to charge me or my kids I would drop it. I wouldn't pull out my cell phone and call animal control while it tried to maul one of us. It absolutely is within a persons rights to protect themselves, their family, and their livestock. Oh and it does not matter whether the dog was in someones yard or the woods if it going after someone. We get that you're upset the dog got shot. You didn't take your lumps because you can't admit fault while openly telling us that you let a dog out that can and does scale the fence and run off. Your dog is your responsibility.

Others have suggested a warning shot. Well as long as you aren't just firing up in the air since what goes up must come down.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

What if someone was taking a walk in the woods? I'll assume the shot was a small caliber? It could have been they were hunting crow, squirrel, etc.

All of a sudden a dog shows up and is either barking playfully or making the "Husky sounds". Sounds which could sound like growling to someone who does not know the breed. They do not see tags (if the dog's not wearing a collar?) so shoot to protect themselves, not knowing the dog is a beloved family pet that wouldn't hurt a fly. Then again, the person who may have been walking in the woods could have preconceived issues with Huskies and have decided to never trust one.

I know that if an Australian Shepherd run up to me in the woods, snarling and growling (which I'm not saying the owner's dog did) I would be hard-pressed to reason with myself that it's someone's pet. But then, I have an intense fear of Aussies. If the Aussie was sweet and did not show any signs of attacking or being aggressive, I would have no issues, but with a person who may have been young, scared of a big dog that was circling them just to get a sniff, I can see several different outcomes.

 

[JenEric Farms]

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Is there a lot of gun fire in your area? Like a lot of hunting? I'm just wondering why gunfire didn't alarm you.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

never mind

 

[horsejody]

I'm sorry the dog was shot, and I hope it recovers. I also hope that it was a lesson learned. If a dog is capable of jumping a 6 foot fence and the owner keeps it in a 6 foot fence, then it's not really contained. Dogs need to be contained on their owner's property. Even if the dog was only gone a short time, it should be considered that the dog may have been a repeat offender. I have a neighbor with Rhodesian Ridgebacks. They swear that the dogs are wonderful loving animals. RR's can easily jump 6 foot fences, but the owners have a 4 1/2 foot fence. The dogs have left their yard more than once. They have have harrassed, threatened, injured and killed other people's pets, mine included. Each time the owners swear that it couldn't have been their dogs because they think they are so sweet. Calling animal control or law enforcement will not stop an attack that is in progress or about to happen. Sometimes immediate action has to be taken. Even nice dogs can make trouble. I have another new neighbor that lets their dog roam. They swear it never leaves their property. They're wrong. I have seen it on other people's property. The lady up the street caught it on her property scaring the chickens in her run. It doesn't take much to kill a chicken. They can fly into the run fencing and break their necks. Of course, the dog owner was in complete denial. Good ol' Fido doesn't have a mean bone in his body. He wouldn't hurt anything. Predator attacks happen quickly, and that includes dog attacks. Sometimes a dog is shot because waiting for animal control is a death sentence for the animal about to be attacked. Sometimes immediate action is the best course. The OP assumes that the dog was in the woods and not in somebody's yard. Without witnessing it, nobody can say for sure. It should also be noted that those woods most likely belong to somebody. Perhaps the owner doesn't appreciate stray dogs chasing the wildlife on his or her property. Perhaps the dog made it just beyond the woods and was in somebody's yard chasing a cat. Perhaps the dog was about to get into a fight with another dog. Just because the dog seems to like other dogs, it can't be assumed that all other dogs will like him and that he shouldn't be kept out of their yards. The sad truth of the matter is that whenever a dog is running unsupervised (even if it's just because he was let out to go potty), the dog owner is potentially putting others in the unfortunate position of having to decide whose pet gets to live or not be injured. Personally, if I have to make a snap decision and decide to shoot my neighbors dog or let it potentially kill or injure one of my animals, I will shoot the dog. If my neighbors' dogs come in my yard ever again, I will shoot them. They are repeat offenders and, if they don't care enough to take measures to contain them every time they let them outside, they must not love the dogs that much. My losses were too great last time. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but that's the reality of it. A dog in it's owner's yard is a pet. A a free ranging dog is a nuisance at best and a predator at worst. I even know of a dog that caused a traffic accident on a country road and people died in the accident.

If anybody thinks that I'm a monster because I would shoot my neighbors' marauding dog, I guess I'll just have to be OK with that.

 

[pips&peeps]

Here's a viewpoint about a dog not being intimidating:

As a teenager, one summer I did some lawn work for a friend of the family.

While at these people's house working, the neighbors huge husky would come over everytime he saw me and walk up to me growling; sometimes from behind. I didn't know this dog and I was alone. So, everytime he did this I would slowly walk inside and wait until he left, all the while trying not to soil myself. He scared the bejesus out of me, dogs love me darn it!

With that being said, that dog left a long lasting impression on me and I don't trust any dog that looks like a husky or malamute. And, at present day, I would shoot one if I found it on my property.

It's unfortunate that your dog got shot, but I believe you must do your best to contain him from now on.