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hunter shoots dog

teeroy

teeroy

Life Member
i saw this on iowaoutdoors, and thought i'd bring it up for discussion over here.

Where to start.....

Our friend's (and my son's godparents) had a horrible incident this past week. They live in the Lansing/Harper's Ferry area, and their dog was gunned down by a "hunter". It hurts me to bite my lip and not speak my mind, as I don't wanna get booted off this site. I won't give the name of the guy that killed the dog, but I do know his name, address, phone number, and website. He supposedly guides hunting trips in that part of the state. He's from Mason City. I hope he's not a member of this site. He was either scouting or hunting for turkeys, I'm not sure, but our friend's dog showed up and started chasing turkeys. What kind of human does it take to do something like that??!! This guy is going to be in a world of trouble. A group has been started on Facebook, and alot of people have already contacted DNR, the Humane Society of North Iowa, and some similar places. This guy also shot the same dog awhile back, even! So their dog had a very rough last few months of life. My friend actually ran the guy down after it happened, and was told that he would shoot the dog again, if given the chance. We need to make sure this guy isn't allowed to guide anymore, or even be allowed to own a gun! If you need any contact info for this "man", please PM me. I have all the info you could ever need. I don't want somebody else's best friend to meet the same fate. I am open to all comments/advice. Thanks alot!
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here's a link to the thread
http://www.iowaoutdoors.org/forum/viewtopic.php?showtopic=411782&mode=&show=10
 
If this dog had been confined to the owners property, what would be the odds of it getting shot? The dog owner bears some responsibility in this matter, too (IMO). Not saying I would have shot the dog.........
 
I agree. I guess I don't know all of the logistics of this situation, but dog owners are responsible to keep their dogs on their property. If this dog had been shot once already, why wouldn't you make sure it was staying on your property?

Not saying that shooting the dog was the right thing to do, its all situational. A close family member of mine ran into a similar situation a few years back. The neighbors dog, real winners I might add, had a dog that they would let run. It would always come over to my family members yard and dig holes and crap and piss on everything. Then one day, the woman (who is my family member) had her toy poodle outside. The neighbors dog went bonkers on it and about killed it. The guy called the sheriffs department and they came out and warned the neighbor about the dog, saying if it was destroying property or putting someone in danger it could legally be shot.

Well, the neighbor still didn't get the clue, and the next week the dog disappeared.

Point of the story, pet owners need to hold some responsibility for their pets. If you're having trouble with a neighboring landowners dog, call the sheriffs department first, unless you or you're property is in immediate danger, then you can 'legally' pull the trigger. I'm the last person that wants to see a dog get shot! I'm a dog lover, but in some situations (aggressive dogs, etc.) you really don't have a choice.

(not saying that the situation on Iowa Outdoors was like this)
 
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JNRBRONC said:
If this dog had been confined to the owners property, what would be the odds of it getting shot? The dog owner bears some responsibility in this matter, too (IMO). Not saying I would have shot the dog.........
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This happens all the time in southern Iowa. I love dogs so i don't think i could ever do that, but when they come and chase all the deer off the field you are hunting it really ticks you off!
 
Tough to get the full flavor of the situation. Did the shooter warn the owners before all this took place? Did he try to avoid the situation by being proactive? If so, it's tough to put the full weight of the thing on his shoulders. Irregardless, I can't imagine shooting a dog in all but the most radical circumstances. If he just up and shot the dog without first trying to work with anyone, he's a loser.
 
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BOY THAT REALLY P!SSES ME OFF! I'D LIKE TO SEE HIM AND GIVE HIM A PIECE OF MY MIND! I MEAN, WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS! WHY DOESN'T HE JUST STAY OVER IN CERRO GORDO COUNTY AND GUIDE THERE!

Oh, you guys were talking about the dog:)
 
Hmmm. Dog gets shot once, owner still doesnt get the drift to keep the dog home. If it was not on the dog owners property when it was shot there is no law broken. The whole bit about getting the animal rights groups involved and the DNR is just Ignorant as the owners of the dog that seem to let him/her run the country side. I mean come on. There are some things i wont tolerate in life and one of those things are dogs any size shape or form that harass wildlife. I have dogs and love them as much as anyone else but i keep them at home. if they run off and cause trouble they are one their own. I guess the only thing i would change is I wouldn't of let him get away the first time. So I suppose that makes me an A$$ hole but i can live with that. Just my 2 cents.
 
I had issues with a couple of dogs this past fall. I knew they were a local farmers dogs and I had stopped by his house a couple of time but wasn't able to get in contact with him. I ended up leaving a note, but the farmer didn't do anything about it. Luckily it was towards the end of the season and I was just filling some doe tags or I would have had to take more action.

I just don't think I could bring myself to do it. I guess I would try and figure out who the owners were first off and if I wasn't able to do that I would take the dog to the local pound or call the DNR. It does sound like that this dog could still have his life if not for the ignorance of its owners.
 
Hate to sound like an ass but if a dog was chasing turkeys on my land he would get treated like a turkey. I keep my own dogs tied up during season so I don't expect to have to police the neighbors dogs for any reason. Love dogs, feel bad, but do what I gotta do.
 
AIRASSAULT said:
If I didn't know whose dog it was.. It would be dead..
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Why? Things happen. Unlesss you have a fenced in yard, it is nearly impossible to keep a dog completely confined to your yard 100% of the time especially if you live in the country unless it lives on the end of a rope, and in that case why have a dog. They have noses, they follow stuff, they are dogs. Sometimes they get out and get lost and are not meaning to be out there causing problems. The most well trained dog in the county might get a wild hair every now and then and just because you don't know who owns every dog around you'd shoot it?

Who knows what really happened, maybe the dog wasn't chasing the turkeys and the guy just wanted to be an A$$ and shot it anyway, but at what point does the life of a deer or a turkey become more valuable than the dog? They're all just animals right? But it's screwing up your hunt so you'd kill it, that sounds like the right thing to do.
 
owner and dogs fault. take responsibility of your animal and protect it instead of letting it run wherever it wants. it could easily be hit by a car, then what, are they going to try to revoke the guys drivers license? he shouldnt be allowed to drive anymore, or ever own a car!!!
 
Iowabowtech said:
Tough to get the full flavor of the situation. Did the shooter warn the owners before all this took place? Did he try to avoid the situation by being proactive? If so, it's tough to put the full weight of the thing on his shoulders. Irregardless, I can't imagine shooting a dog in all but the most radical circumstances. If he just up and shot the dog without first trying to work with anyone, he's a loser.
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I agree. I would try to contact the owner atleast the first time. I would see myself as a coward if I didn't try to work something out. Dogs know no different. But make no mistake I would take care of any problem if the owners didn't take my advice. Most hunters know what season it is and keep their dogs tied up other owners don't even think.
 
I guarantee he talked to the owner before.. He even missed him/wounded him once, so there had been words.

A coyote is a wild dog and the season is open.
 
Shoot2Kill said:
Why? Things happen. Unlesss you have a fenced in yard, it is nearly impossible to keep a dog completely confined to your yard 100% of the time especially if you live in the country unless it lives on the end of a rope, and in that case why have a dog. They have noses, they follow stuff, they are dogs. Sometimes they get out and get lost and are not meaning to be out there causing problems. The most well trained dog in the county might get a wild hair every now and then and just because you don't know who owns every dog around you'd shoot it?

Who knows what really happened, maybe the dog wasn't chasing the turkeys and the guy just wanted to be an A$$ and shot it anyway, but at what point does the life of a deer or a turkey become more valuable than the dog? They're all just animals right? But it's screwing up your hunt so you'd kill it, that sounds like the right thing to do.
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I guess this is how I feel about it as well.
 
A couple things I'd like to add. First just because you call the local SO first dosen't mean you have a green light to shoot the dog. Most rural area's don't have a loose dog ordinance so technically the owner isn't doing anything wrong by letting the dog run. We tell people that they can do what they need to protect themselves or their property, but a dog's presence wouldn't normally justify shooting it.
That being said people need to look at dog ownership a little more responsibly and realize that not everyone loves their dog as much as they do. The most frustrating to me are the owners that think their dog somehow deserves to be able to roam wherever they please.
This is just my opinion and I realize that some people don't agree, but it is NOT that hard to keep a dog at home. I live in the country on a small acreage and my dogs catch hell if they even think about stepping off my property. I have two hunting dogs and a work dog that I have way too much time (and money) invested in to roam off and get hit on the road or shot by someone. Not to mention that I kind of like them and would be devastated if either of those were to happen. If someone isn't going to put the effort into being a responsible owner then they don't deserve to own a dog IMO.
 
I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place on this one... None of us know the details, BUT, that being said: I think anyone who would just up and shoot the dog without first trying to resolve the situation ETHICALLY needs to take some lead themselves, see how it feels. Yes, the owner should take more precautions, that would be ethical as well. Owners are responsible for their dogs, hands down. But that dog was just doing what it loved, just like the hunter, it didn't know any better, so give it a freaking chance! Our wildlife is harassed by other wildlife as well, its called the FOOD CHAIN, so that argument is void in my mind. If all else fails...a guy has to do what he has to do, but it's unfair for the dog to get automatically shot before taking other steps to eliminate the problem. That dog probably roams that countryside free as a bird with no complaints from anyone most of the year but then some hunter comes along and whacks it first time he sees it. COME ON! The guide probably does not own the land, he doesn't even live there, so imo he is in the wrong. Ya, it's inconvenient to have to deal with that, but so are a lot of things. Get over it, and do what's right.
 
I guess you're right Danny.. I never have shot a dog before and I have had many chances.. It would take a lot for me to do it but if it was a reoccurring deal and I was on my last nerve, I really don't know what I would do.. But, I don't really think much of it when someone else does it after the reoccurring aggravation..

But like TimeKiller said, I have also had a dog (chocolate lab) in the country and she never stepped foot off of our 2 acres, ever.. She was outdoor/indoor dog that also loves to hunt. But she would sit and watch deer off of our deck every evening, with an occasional bark is all.. Come bird hunting time that was another story though.. So like he stated, some people just shouldn't own a dog.
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That being said, if it was a kitty... ( X X ) lights out.
 
I would agree that if in fact there were not any previous encounters or ethical "steps" taken prior to the incident the dog should walk. However, there comes a point in time where the line has to be drawn and I love dogs just like everybody else but something has to be done.

Is it the dog's fault? I do not think so. They are programmed to do what they do and if there is not somebody to give it limitations, of course they are going to wander about. The fault of this incident lies on the owner. It is not that difficult to train a dog to remain on your property. Dogs can be taught to know their territory just like you can teach them not to jump on the couch.

So what is the difference between a dog that wanders about, chases game, and does what it pleases and a common coyote? A collar? A regular meal assuming it always comes home? A pedigree? What good is it to the land owner anyway if it is not home? Obviously, if it is not home it can not provide the companionship or protection that people are looking for when they purchase a dog.

In the end, it is up to the individual and the situation to do what is right. That being said, I do feel it is our responsibility as outdoorsmen to make sure and take every precaution we can to make sure the situation can be avoided by talking to the owner, sheriff, etc... At this point and time in this country, with hunter numbers dwindling and stiffer and stiffer regulations, we need everyone we can get on our side. So if you do decide to put an end to a dog running loose and chasing game... make sure nobody finds out about it. Sooner or later that friend you told about the dog you whacked will come full circle as it is only a matter of time.

Just my 2cents
 
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