Posted on 03/17/2009 6:14:34 AM PDT by marktwain
Kenneth Hale Jr. says his neighbor's Bull Mastiff ventured into his yard several times.
Last week, Hale's three year old daughter was playing in the yard and the dog charged toward her, so he got his gun and shot the dog.
Kenneth Hale says "I feel bad about it I didn't want to shoot the dog, I really didn't and I was hoping he would keep him over there, it was a beautiful dog, it's a bull Mastiff and that dog stands every bit of four feet tall on his back".
Thomas County investigators say Hale contacted them on more than one occasion about the dog.
The owner of the dog could not be reached for comment and authorities would not release his name.
“I feel bad about it.........
I wouldn’t...................
damn. that was a big dog.
There wasn’t much else he could do.
Hey! There's a dog charging my little girl! I better go get my gun! Now, let's see, it's over here in my den. I'll just get it down, easy does it. Let's not panic. Where's my ammo? Right here. Okay. Breathe steady. Loading. Loading. Loading. Okay. I think I'm ready. Now, let's go back and assay the situation. Yup, that dog is still charging my daughter. Okay. Ready. Aim. Fire.
I kind of think that the guy may have been holding the gun, watching the dog and thinking "Go ahead. Make my day."
FWIW I have a three year old little girl and two big dogs who behave themselves. The dogs get very protective of her, and the larger one (a 90# GSD) killed a coyote in the back yard.
You are right. Same thing struck me. Any normal parent would grab the child in this case, not a gun.
Once the child is out of danger one might get the gun, but not before.
First rule of pet ownership;
Not everyone loves your animal like you do. Keep it contained.
It sounds like he was out in the back yard with his gun, guarding his daughter. I also find it hard to believe he could have seen the “charge”, gone to get his gun and come back in time to kill the dog. If you’re right, he was using his daughter as bait! Horrible thought.
I agree.
Man Mauled to Death in Rancho Mirage
Rancho Mirage (myFOXla.com) - A man’s death on Monday may have been the result of being mauled by his own bull mastiff dogs.
http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/news/local/Man_Mauled_to_Death_20090316
Maybe he was using his kid as bait!!??
A much more likely scenario. Aggressive dogs and small children are a deadly mix.
hmmm....I don’t know about “got his gun”. Sounds more like his gun was sitting next to him (or in his lap) at the time the dog “charged” his daughter.
There’s no mention of the dog being vicious in the past, just that it wandered into his yard several times.
If my neighbor had such a dog I would not let my kid out in the yard without an armed escort either.
And he’s not done protecting her by any means. Ought to think about moving to somewhere you don’t have to watch over your kid with a gun.
Ought to get his eyes checked too if he thinks he sees dogs “every bit of four feet tall at his back.” Maybe ON someone’s back, not at its own.
I’m another one who agrees with you. If it happened as the guy said, his daughter would have been mauled to death. Added to that, did they guy know the dog was dangerous? Has it bitten someone in the past? If he was that afraid of it, he would have put up a fence, or, in the least, called animal control prior to this incident, if it even was an incident, prior to the shooting.
“I kind of think that the guy may have been holding the gun, watching the dog and thinking “Go ahead. Make my day.”
I don’t think it’s fair to say that he was ‘make my day’ about this. He was prepared to protect a small child. He said he felt bad, maybe he did.
Plus, I don’t believe he ever said he went to get his gun. Maybe he keeps one on him at home. Maybe he was smart because he has seen this dog as a threat to the little girl in the past.
If I had a small child and a huge dog continuously came into my yard, I’d be prepared in one fashion or another. It would think it would be stupid or negligent of him to not be prepared to protect his family.
Excellent point.
Not knowing the local ordinances, it seems like he could have just said “I walk around my home with my gun all the time. What of it?”
When my 27 year old was about 7 years old a wandering mangy curr bit him on my front lawn (broke the skin but not much else). I slipped a mag into my M1 Carbine and went outside, but my wife stopped me. instead I caught the beast and tied it up and called animal control. Under a different situation I would have ended its life. We found the owner and was assured that the dog had his shots....
I like dogs (more than many people) and would kill one only under a situation similar to the one I mention.
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