Posted on 10/05/2015 11:01:19 AM PDT by SJackson
BOULDER JUNCTION - People often feel like their pets are members of their family.
Teri Winter and Jimmy Dean Van Rossum felt that way about their dog Bella.
Earlier this week, Bella was killed by wolves.
The only thing they found of Bella was blood and fur.
"They didn't even leave a bone, we can't find her collar," says Winter.
On Monday night, Van Rossum let Bella out to go to the bathroom at his home in Boulder Junction.
She never came back.
"She was in her woods, her yard, going to the bathroom," Winter says.
That's when wolves got Bella.
Four pet dogs have been killed by wolves in Wisconsin in 2015.
Many other hunting dogs have been killed as well.
Wolves were returned to the federal endangered species list earlier this year.
That leaves some pet owners frustrated.
"A wolf is going to attack my other dog and I can't shoot it? And I'm going to go to jail for it? Put me in jail," Van Rossum said.
"My dog was totally innocent and was brutally killed for no reason," Winter says.
For now, Winter and Van Rossum will remember how much they loved their dog.
"She was a rescue dog, and she was a mutt, and she was great, and she was a family dog, and she was a lover," says Winter.
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How about cats killed by coyotes?
Hate to say but nature isn’t a petting zoo and anyone letting their pet out to play should expect that something might see it as food.
My advice to people facing this problem:
Remember the three “S’s”
Shoot
Shovel
Shut-up
If you have to shoot one of these wolves, do not ever discuss or mention it to anyone, even a spouse.
SSS
Yes
Yes
A sad story.
I always go out with my dog. Even though she is small, she could put up a good fight if she had to; but I’d like to avoid that. I live in a city, but I run into various critters on a regular basis. I don’t necessarily trust all of the human critters around here either. One night we ran into a coyote in the darkness at the bottom of our back stairs. It was surprised as much as we were and ran off, but I hate to think what might have happened if my dog had been out alone.
Table 1. Dog depredations by wolves for 2015 (listed by date) 1/9/2015 Oconto 1 dog killed (Plott, female, 3 years)
1 dog injured (Plott, female, 1 year) Map/Information 1/10/2015 Sawyer 1 dog killed (Walker, male, 6 years)
1 dog killed (Bluetick, male, 7 years) Map/Information 1/10/2015 Bayfield 1 dog killed (Walker, male, 5 years) Map/Information
1/23/2015 Oconto 1 dog killed (Beagle, female, 2 years) Map/Information
2/2/2015 Clark 1 dog killed (Walker, male, 3 years) Map/Information
2/22/2015 Clark 1 dog killed (Plott, male, 6 years) Map/Information
7/19/2015 Bayfield 1 dog killed (Black & Tan, female, 5 years) Map/Information
8/01/2015 Douglas 2 dogs killed (Plott, female, 4 years; Plott, male, 4 years) Map/Information
8/02/2015 Forest 1 dog killed (Bluetick, female, 2 1/2 years) Map/Information
8/04/2015 Bayfield 1 dog killed (Walker, female, 8 years) Map/Information
8/18/2015 Bayfield 2 dogs killed (Walker, female, 6 years; Walker, female, 8 years) Map/Information
8/27/2015 Burnett 1 dog killed (Bluetick, male, 11 years) Map/Information
8/29/2015 Douglas 1 dog killed (Plott, female, 5 years) Map/Information
9/10/2015 Burnett 1 dog killed (Plott, female, 4 years) Map/Information
9/12/2015 Bayfield 2 dogs killed (Bluetick, male, 5 years; Plott, female, 5 years) Map/Information
9/12/2015 Iron 1 dog killed (Walker, female, 4 years) Map/Information
9/20/2015 Bayfield 2 dogs killed (Bluetick, female, 8 years; Plott, male, 4 years) Map/Information
We have more cats killed by fishers than coyotes.
Interesting. All hunting dogs.
>>”She was in her woods, her yard, going to the bathroom,” Winter says<<
I’m sure the wolves respect property boundaries and ownership rights...
There us a reason our great grandparents’ generation did its best to rid the country of wolves.
It isn't nature when Fed.gov forbids you from protecting your family and property against artificially maintained beasts that "might see it as food."
Usually. Training them to hunt bear, and it’s the wolves territory.
It happens in this rural area, too-not often with locals, but the pets summer people and snowbirds leave unattended are a source of fast food for coyotes, wild hogs and the occasional mountain lion all the time-loose pets become dead pets. Most of us have a fenced area, but even so we do not let our dogs out alone or without a lease-especially after dark-and our cats live indoors, too.
I’m sorry the people lost their dog, but I live in the country, and was brought up on a ranch-I was taught that if you don’t want to be around wild animals, don’t move into in their territory-and if you do, be careful with your domestic pets, just as you are with livestock. Wild animals and humans can occupy the same area, but it requires common sense from humans, since animals don’t have that...
Animals do not commit murders-they kill for food and when their hunting territory is trespassed upon-and I’m very glad there are no bears in the part of the state where I live...
You're a half-full kind of person, aren't you?
I owned a blue tick many years ago. He wasn’t the smartest dog but he could hunt and he could darn near climb a tree if he wanted what was up it. Lots of heart, that dog.
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