Posted on 11/22/2008 3:16:17 PM PST by familyop
A local father shot and killed a neighbor's pit bull. The dog was loose and had followed a child into the dad's home.
Law enforcement says no one will face charges because of the incident-- not the father for shooting the dog in front of children, nor the pit bull's owner for letting the dog get out.
It happened in a quiet neighborhood west of Lantana, the dog shot in the driveway of the home of J.R. Martin. Martin declined comment.
But here's what the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and Animal Control say happened. At least two girls were meeting at the Martin home for a ride to school. The pit bull followed one girl into the house and bit Martin's beagle. Martin first tried to scare away the pit bull with a BB gun, but the dog returned, reportedly growling at the children. Martin took out his .9 mm gun and shot the pit bull. The dog then ran down the street and died.
The shooting upset neighbor Ofelia Cravens. Prior to the shooting, Cravens said her daughter found the dog wandering down the street. Cravens said the pit bull was large, but friendly. Cravens said she and her daughter went up and down the street trying to find out who owned the dog. Cravens even put the dog in her garage for awhile.
"The next thing you hear is a shot," said Cravens. "And that was it. I'm very upset, because I could see if he was vicious dog. But he wasn't."
Cravens added, "I like J.R. And I respect him. But I sure as heck didn't know he had a gun."
Another neighbor tells CBS 12, there had to be a reason for Martin to take such an action.
Animal Control says the pit bull belonged to Fernando and Anna Flores, who live on another street. We were unable to reach the couple.
Most frightened I’ve ever been in my life was last summer visiting a friend whose neighbor let their two pitbulls free. I was alone in the driveway, not a soul in sight, talking on cell .. friend was in back of her house and God only khows where the owner was. There was no way in hell any animal control could have gotten there in time if those dogs decided to attack.
You just don’t let pitbulls free to roam in a residential neighborhood, especially if there are kids around. Or old folks like me, either ;)
I give up. Why would you?
"Trigger happy"? "Family pooch"?
Those are only two of the assumptions and spin I read in the above statement.
For the record, you'll have a hard time finding a cop anywhere who is "trigger happy". Do you have any idea what these guys have to go through anytime they discharge their weapons in the line of duty? Think desk duty, suspension, and internal investigations.
In today's litigious culture, most cops will only use their guns in self-defense as a last resort. Plenty of good LEOs have lost their careers or even their freedom over justified shootings. Think Compean & Ramos.
And, if you've spent any time in urban neighborhoods these days, you'll know that cops and other municipal workers are at extreme risk of harm by loose dogs. As the morals have broken down in these areas, so has the attendant danger.
I'd be willing to bet that the actual facts of that story are far from how you just spun it.
"Cops asking for directions..."? Tell me another one.
IF the story is exactly as written, then of course you and everyone else is quite right. You can shoot any animal you want to on your property for any reason and if a dog bites mine in my house I'd probably shoot it too. And who isn't for killing any and all pit bulls? Especially one wandering the neighborhood?
All I'm saying is that the story just doesn't sound right. For all I know, the girls let the friendly doggie into the house. Maybe they thought their doggie would like a friend to play with. Who the heck knows what the story is beyond JR shooting a stray dog, identified as a "pit bull", in his driveway? What else do we need to know? Nothing. Life is good.
Beats me. It was your idea. One pooping in my vegatable garden sounds like target practice, but house cats are great.
Martin took out his .9 mm gun and shot the pit bull. The dog then ran down the street and died.
~~~
Need Mo’Gun!!!
“Trench Broom” time!!!
Kinda skeeery to wound at close range,,,
I wonder which breed wins the “Most Kills” award this year?
You noticed that too, huh!
"I’m sure that pit bull was a really, really nice doggie. And Che was a nice man, too."
Yeah, and Hitler liked both children and dogs. Wow! Did we ever figure him wrong.
I wasn’t commenting on the wisdom of either action. I was pointing out that it wouldn’t require a crack shot in either case; in a sense, I was agreeing with you.
FYI, there’s another pitbull-shooting thread above with much different facts.
I think that what reads strangely about the story was the dog’s easy access to the house .. it came and went and returned ... most of us are used to doors being closed if not locked so a stray dog couldn’t just come in at will.
I’m picturing this happening at a more remote or rural area where people don’t think to lock their doors. It’s Florida so they don’t have to worry about heat escaping, maybe they just leave the doors wide open as we always did in Summer as kids.
As to your tag? Victims who shoot back aren't likely to be the victim.
Thanks.
I did read that story where the cops came to a house to arrest someone renting a room there and shot the family pit bull who was on the porch wagging its tail.
I'm told its SOP to shoot a dog if an officer feels in any way threatened by it, even if the officer is chasing someone through the dog's yard and the dog is merely doing its job protecting its home. The sad part is that dogs are often beloved members of the family and are shot for no good reason with no recourse by the family.
Remember the story of the Virginia town mayor where the local cops set him up with drugs sent to his home and then raided his place and during the raid, shot both of their dogs, one as it was trying to run away. It happens.
The only good pit bull . . . .
I would have done and in fact have done the same as Mr. Martin.
This summer an acquaintance stopped by to ask a question, He had five loose dogs with him. While we were talking a blue heeler ran up and bit me on the thigh. Unfortunately for him, I was armed at the time. He lived about 7 seconds after the act.
I pointed out to the owner that I had saved him a potential lawsuit down the road when the dog destroyed some kid’s face. He reluctantly agreed.
Pit Bulls eat a bowl of .9mm's for breakfast. Must be a phony story.
It should be legal to shoot any dog off a leash on public property or on property not of the dog’s owner.
Especially if the dog is a killer breed like a pit bull.
Yes, I remember that story about the mayor’s dogs and the other one where the officer had a hat with decals representing the dogs he shot. I have a big dog in a fenced yard, sometimes kids `cut through’ & leave the gates open. No one would make the argument that the kids should be shot ...
The thread I mentioned above is a good example, I think, of a homeowner justified in shooting aggressive dogs by self-defense and defense of property, & possibly defense of others as well but the facts aren’t clear.
Well I think I’ll see who’s going to come out on top in the Big XII, take care.
The dog was in his house, growling at the kids.
If you need any more justification than that to shoot a dog, you need to rethink your priorities.
You did not read the same article the rest of us did. If you did, you could not have made such a ridiculeous statement.
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