Michigan legislative action thread
Posted on 07/07/2015 3:33:53 PM PDT by cripplecreek
JACKSON, MI – A Modern Waste Services employee involved in an incident where a dog was killed no longer works for the company.
The owner of the garbage service, Phil Duckham, said the employee was terminated Tuesday afternoon. Duckham said he wanted to meet with the former employee in person before making a decision on how to handle the fatal Monday night shooting of a 9-year-old Rottweiler-Labrador mix.
"This isn't how we do business," Duckham said. "I wanted to hear both sides of the story, and we don't condone damaging people's property. ... It's a service we give and it's only fair to hear both sides of the story."
Marc Boyer said he and his dog, Roxy, were in his driveway when he was about to light a grill to cook some chicken July 6 and the Modern Waste Systems garbage truck pulled up to his residence. He said his dog growled and began to bark when the garbage collector shot her three times in the head.
Police responded to Boyer's home in the 100 block of Euclid Street at 5:44 p.m. Monday night after the incident. Responding officers were told by the suspect that the dog charged toward him and attempted to bite him. The man had a concealed pistol license and his gun was taken by police.
Duckham said while he has no question that his former employee feared the dog would harm him, the incident "shouldn't have happened." He said his company's policy in dealing with animal issues is to return to the vehicle, call police and leave the area.
Boyer and Duckham said there had been an incident between the dog and the garbage collector a week prior.
Boyer said the man who shot his dog had been picking up the trash from his home where he and his girlfriend, Kim Houvner, live for several months. He said a week prior to the shooting, the man had walked up behind the dog while she was lying in the driveway and "freaked out" when the animal stood up and began barking.
Duckham said the employee relayed a different scenario from the previous incident. He said the employee stated the dog charged at him and had to be contained by the owner but was still aggressively advancing toward him and he felt the need to shield himself from the animal with the garbage can.
The shooting is still under investigation by police.
Boyer said his dog was well trained and responded to verbal commands quickly. He said she had no prior incidents with aggression and He had adopted her as a puppy from the SPCA.
Carrying a gun in the area is a good idea but this really shouldn't have happened when the driver only needed to get back in his truck and move on.
If he wants to go around shooting peoples dogs he should be a cop.
There are many ways to deal with an attacking dog and shooting it is not one of them.........
Almost the same thing happened in Monroe, MI, except the cable guy got off. I don’t even think he was fired. He could have easily returned to his truck. too.
I suspect the guy went there with the intent to kill the dog that had made him look like a pansy the week before.
My dogs hate the truck monsters that pick-up recycling and garbage. No other vehicles make the same set of sounds that these ambling monsters generate.
I suspect you're right.........
Surely you don't mean that no one should ever shoot an attacking dog.
This particular guy could have taken many different actions that would have prevented this, and it does seem to be disputed whether or not the dog was actually attacking. In this case there never should have been a shooting because he simply could have followed company protocol to avoid exactly this kind of problem.
That said a dog attack can kill or permanently injure. I would no more suffer a dog attack than a human attack were I armed.
Um...are you by chance living in my attic or something?
That is my exact scenario.
Down to the day and color of truck.
Spooookyy!
Except I live in a rural area and most anybody that stops on the road is the subject of my dogs barking.
Until they come down the drive, get out and talk nicey, nice to the big bad Pit Bull and the elderly Rhodesian Ridge-back.
That Pit would kill 'em with his wagging tail if they came in the fence and the older RR would run 'em crazy with a ball for them to throw.
Great watchdogs.
Don't tell anybody.
I've got a lab that will pin you down by sitting on your foot and then pound your ankles with his tail.
Leash. Fence. Garbage can outside the fence or beyond the leash or do not pick up that garbage. Period.
It is rocket science. Or rather, no, it’s not.
Beat me to it.
The driver was wrong, but; why no leash law or fence law.
Since you obviously wish to enter into a pissing contest by parsing words that I have no desire to enter into, then I'm going to say no.
With that being said, I don't have to shoot an attacking dog in order to defend myself...As I stated previously, there are ways to defend oneself from such an attack.
Exactly.
The article states the dog was in/on his driveway. Does a dog have to be leashed if on one’s property? I think the leash law is designed specifically for off of one’s property. (a few of our neighbors have those electric fence things.. the dog wears a certain collar but can’t leave the property.)
Disregard.. my bad. The driveway incident was a week prior. Oops....
“My dogs hate the truck monsters that pick-up recycling and garbage. No other vehicles make the same set of sounds that these ambling monsters generate.”
Dogs hate the fact that someone walks onto “their” property with impunity. My dog was death on the UPS guy, she knew the sound of that truck coming a mile away.
Gotta love a lab.
And he probably has no clue as to why anyone would object.
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