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.
LOL
Outstanding reply!!
>It should be legal to shoot any dog off a leash on public property or on property not of the dog’s owner.<
You obviously don’t live in Virginia. We take offense to people who shoot and kill dogs who aren’t threatening anyone. Pull that stunt in VA, and you’ll find yourself looking at a felony conviction.
Re-read the story again. you’ll see why.
You can always tell who the good guys are in any fight. They’re the ones the liberals will be castigating and hurling their bile at.
In fact, liberals can point you to the truth as reliably as any barometer. Just look 180 degrees away from wherever they’re pointing, and you’ll be dead on the truth every time.
This is a poorly written story.
The pit bull followed one girl into the house and bit Martin's beagle. (Just bit?) Martin first tried to scare away the pit bull with a BB gun, but the dog returned,(Where did it go in the first place? Did it leave the house?) 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.(Did he shoot it in the house or outside?)
I wonder if it's possible the dog was confused about his whereabouts (lost, strange home, strange dog) and lashed out as animals often do in a chaotic situation. Another neighbor said she'd put the dog up for a while, and that she and her daughter had even waled the dog around the neighborhood to find its owner, and it was never aggressive. It just makes me wonder...
Yes. And whenever someone acts in his own defense or in the defense of his family or his property, you can count particularly on that action to bring the nay-sayers swarming out of the bushes.
“You did not read the same article the rest of us did. If you did, you could not have made such a ridiculeous statement. “
Further down the posts I admit that I miss read the actions of the original homeowner. I took the second statement “that the dog was friendly” to be connected to the incident. I get angry when I read about anyone shooting a dog and perhaps jumped to a conclusion without carefully reading the whole story.
My statement about “cops shooting Fido” is unrelated to this story, and is about another incident that was circulating perhaps yesterday.
http://jonathanturley.org/2008/10/24/video-oklahoma-police-office-shoots-dog-and-then-allegedly-lies/
And before I take any more flak about criticizing “trigger happy” cops, I'm not portraying police officers in general in that light, only criticizing the actions of the officer in this story. However, if you'd like to hear about the city police officer that emptied his weapon into the “UFO”, that turned out to be a farmer in a combine, I'll see if I can find the story.
You left out a part of my statement, on purpose, I'm sure:
"We take offense to people who shoot and kill dogs who aren’t threatening anyone.
What about the homeowners dog defending ‘his’ property?
I would have done the same thing, except the offending dog wouldn’t have made two steps from lead exposure. )bigger gun bore)
What part of, “It should be legal,” don’t you understand?
Thats my favorite reply to the question of why I carry...
Cops are heavy.
Good advice.
Where I live, dogs with no collar/tags die quick and sure.
Now, I did say “it should be legal” to shoot any dog off a leash on your property or on public property, at your discretion.
Now, as a matter of fact, I like dogs.
So even if a pit bull did wander onto my property—even into my house, I would not shoot it unless I had no choice (and no choice includes taking no chances). Heck, even if I hated animals, I wouldn’t want to spoil the carpet unless absolutely necessary.
But if I could not peacefully control the dog, then I would like to have the legal right to shoot it just for being off a leash and on my property or on public property.
Further, if this dog had a history of being off the leash, and I judge it to be big enough to do serious harm some day, then backed by a law allowing me to shoot it on my property at my discretion, I should be legally alloed to do so.
WITHOUT later having to get involved with legal proceedings to prove a life was in danger.
That’s more than reasonable. In most rural areas west of the Mississippi, no one even has to prove that a life was in danger.
All dog owners need do is never let their animals off their property unless leashed.
Although I would also suggest a law that if a dog isn’t also muzzled, and it bites someone, then the owner should be in big trouble—i.e., that a leash alone is not a guarantee the owner is a responsible dog owner.
(A leash is no guarantee the owner can control the dog, if the dog is strong enough and determined enough.)
>I don’t care that you “take offense”<
“We”, as in “the state”. Go ahead, shoot a dog without cause in Virginia. Get convicted of a felony.
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