Golden Retriever Puppy Found Shot and Killed on Maryland Farm

My Fox DC ^ | January 5, 2012 | Beth Parker

[Altariel]

MIDDLETOWN, Md. - Heidi, the Golden Retriever puppy, loved to play - especially in water.

"If there was a puddle in the driveway, she'd go roll in," says her owner Lynette Kaufmann.

But when you called her name, Heidi came right away. That's why Kaufmann knew something was wrong Wednesday on her farm in Middletown, Maryland.

For years, Lynette and her husband have been foster parents for rescue dogs, including Molly, who has a spinal injury.

"I can't stand to think of a dog not having a home," she says.

After a short run on the farm the other four dogs returned to the house around 10:30 Wednesday morning, but Heidi did not. Lynette and two friends searched the farm for three hours and had nearly given up when they found 7-month-old Heidi dead in a field.

The puppy had been shot three times.

[Altariel]

Hopefully the sick individual who did this will be found. There's hardly a more friendly, likable dog than a Golden.

[Retired Greyhound]

Where there any cops in the neighborhood that day?

[MeganC]

If it is farm and ranch country then these people should know better than to let a pack of dogs...even Golden Retrievers...run loose. When we lived in California our ranch there was about five miles outside of Lincoln and a few years back we started having dog problems from city people moving out to the country and then letting their dogs out for a run.

All dogs, from chihuahuas to Rottweilers, find it to be great fun to chase cattle. What isn’t fun is finding a pack of dogs chasing your prize bull and causing him to break a leg.

After that whenever we saw dogs on the ranch the dogs got treated to hollow points. California law explicitly allows this.

Now we’re in another state and we still get the occasional dog on the property chasing the cattle and the response is the same. What is really terrible in my opinion is letting your dog loose in an area where there’s bears, coyotes, and wolves that will hunt down and eat dogs alive.

In this case the corpse of the dog was on the person’s property, but that does not tell the whole story. Had it been off the property causing problems? If it was out loose and unsupervised then this is a real possibility. Given that this took place in Maryland, which isn’t exactly friendly to country people or gun owners, I can appreciate someone just shooting a problem dog and being done with it.

The best advice I have for this person is to not let their dogs out loose and unsupervised. That, or make sure their fence line is tall enough and secure enough to keep the dogs on their own property and then I bet there won’t be any more problems with the neighbors shooting the dogs.

[cyclotic]

Yea, so get this. Because some moron shot a dog, a local rat legislator is trying to make a animal abuse registry just like sexual predators. Get a grip.

[MeganC]

According to Zabasearch (public domain information) Lynette Kaufmann lives at 2912 Station Road in Middletown. Looking at the place on Google Earth I’m not seeing any fence at all and I’m also seeing a lot of neighboring homes right nearby.

Lynette is not a responsible dog owner if she’s letting a pack of dogs go wandering around her neighborhood.

[Altariel]

It’s possible that the dogs leave the property, but responsible dog owners train their dogs to remain on their own property.

The possible scenarios could just as easily involve a person who intruded onto her property and tried to shoot one or more of the dogs.

[RedMonqey]

As an farming family whose livestock has been harassed by the neighbor's wandering unchained dogs, there may be another side of the story.
Her “puppy” may have been part of a pack that has been running other farmers livestock. At first glance seeing their pets roaming the countryside and “playing” with cows and hogs may seem innocence but these wayward animals are, even if they don't take down a cow or calf, are distressing the animals and sweating out the farmers’ profit.

We have shot and killed a few neighbors “pets” that were seen repeatedly attacking our animals and were warned to keep their animals under control. These former city dwelling neighbors tried to call the law on us for “murdering” their “family members” and were told by the deputy sheriff they were lucky we didn't have them arrested for our losses.

May not apply in this case... just saying these people may not be aware of what their animals are doing....

[momtothree]

The article states that the couple owns 50 acres and it sounded like the dog was shot on their own property. While I agree that dogs can wreak havoc on other folks livestock etc... shooting a dog on your own property is over the line. If a neighbor had done this on their property... fine. Perhaps there is more to the story like these dogs going after livestock or on other folk’s property but it may just be as likely as someone doing it for kicks.

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

Is that you again, Chet99?

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

P.S.

You are very ill...mentally.

[pabianice]

One of our rescue dogs was a fear barker. She had been abused and was afraid of men. So we got her a bark collar. When she barked it shocked her and made her even more afraid. Big mistake. We never used it again.

[MeganC]

They probably own 50 acres, but if you look at the lay of the place they’ve got a bunch of neighbors closer to their home than is their most distant property line.

I don’t mean to sound insensitive and it may be true that someone shot the dogs for kicks. That’s entirely possible. But that doesn’t change the fact that anyone in farm country should know better than to let a pack of dogs go loose. Golden Retrievers are VERY nice dogs on their own but I’ve seen them become vicious when in a pack with other dogs.

If the Kaufmann’s were my neighbors I’d be pi**ed at them for letting a pack of dogs loose where they can possibly get to my kids or animals.

[MeganC]

I checked Maryland law and it looks like this may actually have been legal.

http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stusmdcode11_501_514.htm#s11_505

>>> § 11-505. When dog killing permitted

Any person may kill any dog which he sees in the act of pursuing, attacking, wounding or killing any poultry or livestock, or attacking human beings whether or not such dog bears the proper license tag required by these provisions. There shall be no liability on such persons in damages or otherwise for such killing.
<<<<

[RedMonqey]

After that whenever we saw dogs on the ranch the dogs got treated to hollow points. California law explicitly allows this.

I see we share similar experiences.

We have dogs as did many fellow farmers but luckily, none have ever gone "rogue" and needed, as you say, "the treatment".

It's usually boiled down to City people vs. County born people. We live near Ft Campbell and have lots of transients coming and going. We could always tell the difference by the way they allowed their animals to roam free in the "great wild"

Had one couple who claimed they didn't know anyone "owned" the land despite it was obviously fenced, plowed and planted with crops and had Black Angus cattle.

Had to pump four .22 hollow point rounds into their St. Benard's head after running our cows with heifers(one with a bleeding wound) running into our barbed wire fence.

[cicero2k]

Having owned a Golden, I empathize.

You know there was a “but”.

I have a friend who had a Golden and chickens. One day it was just the Golden and 13 dead chickens, in less than an hour.

I can start to see the other side, especially if it was an outside dog.

Keep your dog in a fenced yard or attached to you arm.

[Joe 6-pack]

WOOOF!

The Doggie Ping list is for FReepers who would like to be notified of threads relating to all things canid. If you would like to join the Doggie Ping Pack (or be unleashed from it), FReemail me.

[MeganC]

I had no idea a .22 would be any good on a St. Bernard.

Christmas 2009 I got my Remington 700 SPS in .308 and it does a very effective job on whatever it gets aimed at.

[RedMonqey]

a local rat legislator is trying to make a animal abuse registry just like sexual predators

Must be in a urban/suburban district. Here in Tennessee, even a Democrat wouldn't try such a stunt.(for now...)

[Eaker]

After a short run on the farm

A fifty acre farm.

Shoot my dog on my property and you will regret it the rest of your short life.

[Charlespg]

Have you read the article ? The puppies body was found on the owners property .They should have have a registry of these sub humans who abuse animals for kicks

if I catch some sick son of a bitch trespassing on my land to shoot my dog ,he's leaving in a bodybag