[Scenic Sounds]

A veterinarian accused of using a mallet to kill a miniature dachshund that had entered his yard has been charged with felony animal cruelty.

He should be fed to dogs. That's the only way to stop this kind of thing.

[NorthWoody]

That's the only way to stop this kind of thing.

No, it's not the only way. The dog's owner could have cared enough about it to keep it out of the yard of a neighbor who owns other animals. Granted, the guy shouldn't have used a mallet to kill a little-bitty weiner dog that probably wouldn't hurt a flea, and he's probably a few sandwiches short of a picnic.

But what if it had been a pit bull or a Rottweiler in his yard? Could/should he have assumed the worst and killed the dog without penalty? The law doesn't make distinctions on the breed or the size of a trespassing animal, so if the guy would have been right in killing a sinister-looking large dog, how can he be penalized legally for killing an ankle-biter?

In my opinion the charges are baseless and should be dismissed. The cop who wrote the summons probably only did it because the dog's [irresponsible] owner was wailing like a banshee over the dead dog and the cop didn't want the owner's anger directed at him. The guy with the mallet protected his property, his animals, from a potential threat that was not supposed to be in his yard. Again, to qualify, the guy is still wrong for killing such a little dog, unless it was actually attacking one of his own animals, which I don't believe it was. Him being a veterinarian only amplifies his impropriety.