VETERINARIAN ACCUSED OF KILLING DOG FOR ENTERING HIS YARD

AP Breaking News ^ | 5 September 2003

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - A veterinarian accused of using a mallet to kill a miniature dachshund that had entered his yard has been charged with felony animal cruelty. Dr. Mircea Volosen, who was indicted Thursday, could receive up to two years in prison if convicted of killing his neighbor's pet. Police say the dog was killed July 4 after it entered Volosen's Fort Worth-area yard, where he keeps chickens and rabbits.

Volosen's attorney, William D. Cox III, said Friday that his client will plead innocent. "We're disappointed and surprised by the indictment. It's merely Dr. Volosen was exercising his right to protect his livestock," said Cox. "This dog had been over there before." Last September, Volosen killed a neighborhood Labrador retriever but police did not file charges at the time because the dog had killed seven of Volosen's rabbits and one of his chickens. Volosen is free after posting $2,500 bond.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Very interesting case. Keep your dog on your OWN property was what I was always taught. If the dog is on your property and someone harms it, you have cause to take action. If your dog is on someone else's property (no matter what the reason) and does something wrong, it is the owner of that property who then has the prerogative as to what to do to the dog. For many years in this country, it worked that way. Now it seems to have become Tu casa es mi casa. ... or What's mine is mine and what's yours is mine. Society will disintegrate into anarchy with that type of attitude.

[LibKill]

I'm a real property rights guy myself. And I have taken some flak for it.

Clubbing a minature dachshund to death takes little strength and less cojones. A spanking with a folded newspaper would have taught the critter to stay out of the yard.

Felony charges are disproportionate. He should just have to stand in his front yard for two hours every day holding up a sign saying "I HAVE PROPERTY RIGHTS, BUT I HAVE NO BALLS."

[joesnuffy]

what a sick POS ...ever seen a minature Dachshundt last year he killed one of his other neighbors Labs...allegedly for killing some rabbits or chickens?
Dr. Mircea Volosen
what the hell kinda name is this anyway...another alien...lands in America ..the land of milk and cookies bringing with him the greatness of his alien culture..
what a hole our leaders are turning our beloved nation into

[RoughDobermann]

OK. If the Lab had killed his livestock and was back again for more, he was justified in whacking it (i.e., worthless owners). But a miniature dachshund? Well, they CAN be pretty fiesty, but maybe a kick in the A$$ instead of a mallet to the head would have sufficed...

[smalltown]

Don't know what part of the country you grew up in but I sure wouldn't want to live there.
Around here killing someone else's dog could get your house burned down.
And splattering your neighbor's miniature dachshound with a mallet on the Fourth of July would get it burned down with you in it. And deservedly so.

[Ciexyz]

He sounds like a sick puppy.

[ambrose]

Labs are among the nicest dogs there are! This guy is scum.

[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.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Don't know what part of the country you grew up in but I sure wouldn't want to live there. Around here killing someone else's dog could get your house burned down.

And splattering your neighbor's miniature dachshound with a mallet on the Fourth of July would get it burned down with you in it. And deservedly so.

Fascinating. And, what town would that be? I learned one of the most important things I've ever learned about human relations here on Free Republic and I practice it religiously: Never threaten anyone. It ruins the surprise.

Now, why don't you be a nice little boy and tell me where that town is? I know the exact proper procedure to follow if I ever have to live there.

[cmsgop]

I agree, I just got a Young Shih-Tzu. I pick it up on the 27th. I also have a neighbor who lets his Chow and Lab roam freely. The Lab is cool but the Chow is kinda weird. If anything happens to my dog, I will own their house......

[tiki]

In our county it is legal and proper to kill a dog who is on your property and a threat to your livestock. We kill them if they look feral and give others the chance to run away and not come back but when you've seen a live calf half eaten by a dog, you get mad.

[Bonaparte]

A miniature dachshund weighs between 6 and 12 pounds.

[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.

[Scenic Sounds]

Great job! I really didn't imagine anyone could be as persuasive as you have been on behalf of this jerk. You make some good points, I must say.

I still think it's important that an example be set. Fining or jailing him for a while might deter some people, but only those who learned about it. Feeding him to dogs would get more publicity (I think) and would send just the right message to others. I'm sorry, but that's just the way I feel about this.

[muawiyah]

Guarantee the Lab will eat your Shi-Tzu. Then, you will have to eat the Chow.

All will be in balance!

The judge will have a good laugh, but will not hand over your neighbor's house to you. After all, the issue is the harboring of dogs, a nasty practice at best.

[smalltown]

You seem a little paranoid. Just who threatened you?

[org.whodat]

Don't know what part of the country you grew up in but I sure wouldn't want to live there. Around here killing someone else's dog could get your house burned down. And splattering your neighbor's miniature dachshound with a mallet on the Fourth of July would get it burned down with you in it. And deservedly so.

You are sick, get some help.

[cmsgop]

Yeah But She is Really Cute! So There.......... :*)

[smalltown]

Just telling it like it is, good buddy.

[Doc On The Bay]

This story doesn't pass "Even the most Rudimentary" "Smell Test!"

There MUST be a "Lawyer" in there--somewhere!

None of the "Miniature" pet Species are a Credible Threat to ANYTHING!

The ONLY "miniature" threat to ANY LIVING CREATURE is a "Miniature Lawyer!!"

Doc