Posted on 10/17/2015 5:49:57 AM PDT by Altariel
A bomb-sniffing combat dog named Mike survived two tours of duty in Iraq but not the streets of a bucolic little town in Wyoming.
The 9-year-old Belgian Malinois was shot and killed in Powell last Saturday by a bicyclist who said he was attacked, leaving Mike’s devastated owner Matthew Bessler, a retired Army Ranger, wondering how he is going to deal with his combat-related injuries alone.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
So the neighbor who witnessed the scene was lying? We’re to believe the owner who wasn’t there?
Indeed. And entirely preventable.
I wonder if it was the sound of wheels on a road coupled with a helmet.
Given the dog’s background, he may equate “helmet” with “soldier” and decided that he needed to protect his master from an unknown “soldier”
The local papers account of this incident:
What neighbor?
No other people witnessed the incident, though a neighbor heard the shot and came outside to see the dog limping away.
I don’t always fail to check when a link is posted, but when I do.....
“The man said the encounter took place in the road, and Steward said that’s consistent with what the neighbor told the deputy.”
Why are you defending an irresponsible dog owner? Do you believe dogs should be on the road, bothering passers by?
It seems a lot of people are missing that it had no teeth. Their average lifespan is only 12 to 14 years.
Bessler questions many parts of the bicyclist’s account.
“He has his story,” Bessler said. “I know my dog. I have my story.”
The man told the Sheriff’s Office, and the dog’s wounds show, that he shot the dog in the rear.
“In my mind, it’s inconsistent with a dog that’s attacking somebody,” Bessler said, saying that two pellet marks went directly toward Mike’s heart.
Bessler described Mike as a nice dog who was gentle with children, enjoyed being petted and always wanted to play ball.
Do you know the difference between “toothless” and “effectively had no teeth?”
Why are you defending a loose dog in the middle of the road? Are you an irresponsible dog owner?
Would you blame the driver of the vehicle if the dog chased a truck and was run over?
I wholeheartedly agree with your last sentence.
None of the dogs had any business even approaching the bicyclist. I personally will not hesitate to shoot a dog if it approaches me in a threatening manner.
The owner of this dog is the responsible one, not the bicyclist. He has a duty to keep the dog controlled at all times, especially when he is away from home.
"No other people witnessed the incident, though a neighbor heard the shot and came outside to see the dog limping away."
Why are you being so rabid about defending the cyclist when there were NO WITNESSES?
My thoughts were along the same lines as yours.
"The friend who was caring for Mike told the Sheriff’s Office they had no idea how the dog had escaped from Bessler’s residence, Mathess said."
There is always the trauma bond. I’ve had many dogs but Becky, a husky-wolf, was there when I was in the pits so I needed her more, I guess, thus the bond. I truly hope since there are horses in heaven that our best friends will also be there. I miss them all.
I guess the bike rider never heard of pepper spray. Why not shoot him.
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