Man Shoots Dog to Protect Daughter

wctv.tv ^ | 10 March, 2009 | NA

[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.

[Ditter]

That one looks to be a little bigger than the 2 next door to me, but not much. My neighbors dogs are both females and their heads are a little smaller. My neighbors have a burglar alarm and it goes off occasionally. I always go out with my camera in hopes of catching a photo of the terrified burglar as he runs out of the house with those monster big dogs behind him. he he

[freekitty]

I disagree. What about leaving your 3 year old child out to be bait especially if you are aware of the dog? That’s not being a responsible parent. It sounds odd too that if the dog was reported so many times; why didn’t the animal control do something?

[freekitty]

This one looks like an English Mastiff; not a Bull Mastiff. These guys are really big. They can reach 250 or more.

[Joe Boucher]

coyote in W. Virginia?
Where about ya live?

[Snurple]

if he thinks he sees dogs “every bit of four feet tall at his back.” Maybe ON someone’s back, not at its own.

Really? Never been around a full grown mastiff I take it....

[668 - Neighbor of the Beast]

Matter of fact, I do know a few mastiffs up close. And I’ve never seen one...nor any other breed of dog...that’s 48” high at the back.
And I do not believe anyone else has either.

[LongElegantLegs]

48” may be an exageration, but mastiffs (not bullmastiffs) have a minimum height requirement of 30”.
They can be taller.

[absolootezer0]

I kind of think that the guy may have been holding the gun, watching the dog and thinking "Go ahead. Make my day."

your neighbor has a dog that's shown itself to be aggressive, and your 3 year old is out playing. you gonna leave your gun in the house or you gonna carry it?
i'm not going to keep my daughter locked up because some jerk can't control his dog.

[668 - Neighbor of the Beast]

http://www.spike.com/video/worlds-tallest-dog/2682371

Ok folks. I know it’s blarney day. But the article says bull mastiff, not mastiff, and it says four feet on his back.

At the link provided you can see the “world’s tallest dog” (tall standing up). He is shown standing on four legs near two people, and his back does NOT come up to their belts.

48” is about armpit level on most people. Think about it.

And if you know any dog that high, Guinness wants to hear from you.

[DJ MacWoW]

Where in the story does it say it was aggressive? You see, that’s the problem. This is a poorly written story with no history on the dog except it “ventured into his yard several times.” Not enough info.

[Judith Anne]

A bullmastiff, as far as I know, is a bulldog/mastiff combination. They are smaller in stature than an Old English Mastiff (or American Mastiff) and I do not believe the poster that said it was 4 feet tall on the back. The dog may be obese, weigh 200 pounds.

My mastiff is 36-37 inches tall at the shoulder. Weighs 200+.

I suspect someone is exaggerating here.

[absolootezer0]

it also says he called the “investigators” (sheriff?) a couple times. you don’t usually call the cops on a friendly dog.. well it is a mastiff, he might have been complaining about the enomous poops. :)

[wardaddy]

I’m with you...the sequence sounds odd.

Dog charges my kid....I run inside to get gun to kill it while dog charges kid...

maybe the reporter just wrote it up outtawhack

[Judith Anne]

I don’t think there is a bull mastiff that large.

A regular mastiff can be 35-37 inches at the shoulder. I own one of those.

[DJ MacWoW]

well it is a mastiff, he might have been complaining about the enomous poops. :)

LOL!!

I hate stories that stop just short of being informative.

[Judith Anne]

Some real photos here:

http://www.flyingwfarms.com/amastiff/D%20Tinker.htm

of my American Mastiff.

(7/8 Old English Mastiff, 1/8 Anatolian)

[wardaddy]

When I peruse these usual bad dog threads here on a so called conservative forum I'm often struck by how easy it will be one day to outlaw or regulate large dogs just like we do firearms tobacco and alcohol.

It's coming..make no mistake.

These things are always incremental.

The first step will be registering any dog over 50 pounds. Requiring all males not in locked breeding kennels to be chopped at the balls....that sort of thing.

Just look how smoking has gone just in a generation ...from smoking areas to simply no smoking...not even outsdie in the air....off property period..

Now it's cell phones.....no texting while driving is first. Next will be no cell phones while driving period.

In a culture where even conservatives applaud some nannystateness these culminations are inevitable.

Sad. We were so much freeer and more personally responsible when I was a boy.

I know I sound like a libertarian...odd....but I see this getting worse.

It's like we're putting bandaids on a crumbling culture without addressing the real issues from fear...usually fear of something ethnic or racial or gender oriented.

[wardaddy]

Do you have a 3yo in the house also?

I do....along with a 6 and 9 and 20 year old too. And guns and big dogs are all part of my historical package.

It's how we live down here.

[Judith Anne]

Very well said.

[numberonepal]

I just went and played with the dog after all your corrections and realized her yard is a little higher than mine across the fence. Thanks for all the research it was very informative.