What Are Your Opinions On This?

[areias]

I'm sorry Penny's mom's if we did not have all the facts. However, I beleave we all have had that on neighbor that just lets there dog run around off leash all the time without careing about how others feel. I for one just assumed you were that same neighbor who just let there dog run loose. If we are wrong, then I am sorry I made that assumtion.

I do wonder though. What if one of our dog's got out of our backyards and wandered into a neighbors yard and the neighbor shot it claiming it was chaseing a chicken? How fare is that? What if your dog never did anything to his chickens, but the law says he has the right to. In my opinion the laws need to change. Starting with a huge fine for having your dog roaming off leash (something like $500) and then takeing away the law that allows you to shoot a dog on your property.

Ashley

We had a problem with our dogs digging under the fence/breaking boards to get to the neighbors rabbits. One time one of the dogs got under the fence for a fairly long time and manged to get the hutch open, he did not kill the rabbit though. But there was one of the hurricanes going on, and it came in that night, and the rabbit was dead in the morning. Whether or not it was my dog's fault...I don't know, but I wouldn't blame my neighbor for protecting his property. Not that I would be happy about it, but that's only fair. We have since put up a better fence and they have been deterred and it's been a few years since they've gone over that side.

Now my neighbor's pit bull getting over here is another story...he's already done damage before, and still gets over every now and then. Technically we have the right to shoot that dog on sight based on the previous incident, but we are lenient and return him, usually.

I agree with LilacDragon...I feel the same, everyone has completely switched sides. I would not be surprised if perhaps the JRT was chasing the chickens, if not killing them. It even says that the dog just gets let out, and the grandmother even went for a walk without checking to make sure the dog was in the yard. How insane is that? And when you get home...wouldn't you notice the dog's gone? *Not* 45 minutes later. Plus based on the facts it looks like the family consistantly let the dog run around loose.

I wish the guy would only get a DUI. It may be a little wierd that he put the dog in a bag in the truck, but hey I've been drunk too.

[TamanduaGirl]

My mother heard Pennys moan at the time of death at exactly 3:53. My son and mom were literally right to the side of his property........WHAT IF THAT BULLET HAD HIT MY MOM OR MY SON????

So you hear the moan but not a gunshot? Are you claiming he had a silencer?

If the law already agrees he was in the wrong and arrested him since he appaerently admitted the dog wasn't a threat then what has to be changed? Are you saying that if a dog actually is killing one of my animals on my property I don't have the right to defend them, only call authorities so that they all will be dead by the time they get there? A loose dog has more rites than my own animals on my own proprty?

[Lady's Human]

If the gunshot caused as much damage as posted, (sounds like a rifled slug from a shotgun) there would have been no "moan of death". As to the gunshot, it is frankly IMPOSSIBLE to silence a supersonic round from a weapon. If she was close enough to the incident to hear a 6 lb dog moan, the gunshot would still be echoing, and that noise would cover any noise the dog made.

3:53? You're sure it wasn't 3:52? Or maybe 3:54?

Again, regardless of the common practice in the area to let dogs roam free, dogs should be kept under control. There is plenty of wildlife in the area that would think a 6 lb dog would make a nice lunch.

[Daisy and Delilah]

Rest in Peace, Penny. I'm very sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

[areias]

Geez, whether or not you are Penny's owner, this a public forum. Articles like these are debated on and argued over all the time, unfortunately you the owner had to stumble upon it, but nonetheless this is stuff we debate about. I think everyone here is sorry that you no longer have Penny, and we know how you feel, but also that you need to be more responsible with your animals. Anything can happen to them if they are not properly secured, and you can't really blame your neighbor for it. They also have to be trained with an electric fence-you can't just throw them out there on the first day.

Maybe you have no idea what it is like to be on ONE INCOME with two children and tons of bills from all the home repairs we put on credit cards.....BUT WE TRIED OUR BEST.

You said yourself you are a "certified mental health therapist" and that your husband gets up at 3:30 in the morning to go to work....that's two incomes. Please don't lie. I find it also fishy how your mother walked by and heard a moan if there was so much damage done-she should have her a gunshot, and then silence.

[LilacDragon]

MY DOG HAS NEVER HARMED OR ATTEMPTED TO HARM HIS ANIMALS!!!!!!!!! GET A POLICE REPORT FOR YOURSELF!!!!!!!!! WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE, IS THE FACT THAT THIS MAN KILLED MY DOG WHEN SHE WASENT DOING ANYTHING WRONG. The felony law needs to be changed so that if someone kills a domestic pet FOR NO REASON, they are charged with a FELONY. My dog was not doing anything. I cannot tell you anything about how I feel about a dog that was attacking chickens, because that is not the case in this matter.

As for the moan, I did not say I heard it. I said my mother heard it while walking behind his property with my son. According to the police report the man says he was standing inside his homes doorway when he fired the weapon. I am not sure of a silencer.

I think you need to take a step back and look at what you are saying! I know that you are mourning the loss of your family pet but pick up a paper tomorrow and see how many articles you can find about someone being attacked by a dog running at large.

If your dog had gotten loose ONCE, then maybe we would feel really bad for you. But all the facts that we have seen shows that your dog got out frequently. That, my dear, is the definition of irresponsible ownership.

I AM a single mom and the rent for my apartment is 2/3rds of my monthly income. And yet my dog eats good food and has NEVER been outside off a leash in an unenclosed area.

IMHO - dog owners who's dog threaten someone's person or property should be charged with a felony.

You must not be a parent if you do not understand why we already have a new puppy.

ARE YOU KIDDING!?!

Dogs/puppies aren't toys to be replaced when they are broken! They are living, breathing creatures. When our family's rottweiler died of cancer, we waited months for the perfect dog for our family to come along.

Sorry, but I think you are wrong on many levels here.

[Sophist]

Twisterdog and Lilacsdragon, I just want to give your last two posts standing ovations.



And Penny'sOwner... it's fine and your prerogative to not feel the need to give any source or back-up for your 'expert analysis'. Just don't expect anyone else to place any stock in a completely unverifiable assertion like that.

You were actually home when Penny died and just "assumed" she was safe and contained, even though you did notice she was not going along for the walk which apparently was out of the ordinary for her. Even though you knew you were waiting around for someone on Craig'slist to give you free materials to even make it possible for her to really be contained you didn't bother to check if she was. You made no attempt to locate her or make sure she really was around. For that, you need to stop asserting your mother's negligence. Penny was not your mother's dog. Penny was not your mother's responsibility.



Like I said before, just please please no excuses or waiting, make your puppy safe and secure. You owe it to both of your dogs. I think that would better serve Penny's memory than trying to pass legislation that protects those who flaunt the leash laws and punishes those who choose to defend their own animals from intruding predators.

[Sophist]

ARE YOU KIDDING!?!

Dogs/puppies aren't toys to be replaced when they are broken!

Permission to tattoo that across the foreheads of a few people I know?

[Lady's Human]

We still don't "know" that penny wasn't harassing livestock. We have the newspaper articles saying she was, and you saying she wasn't.

If she was harassing livestock, and had done so in the past, legally he did have the right to shoot the dog.

As to the some people/most people issue, popular opinion does not make something legal or correct. If everything hinged on the opinion of "most people" we'd be left with mob rule.

[LilacDragon]

There are some people who will not see it like MOST PEOPLE. I loved Penny and I honestly was doing the very best that I could.

But see - we DO see it like most people. It is your option to learn how to be a responsible dog owner.

[jackie]

Pennysowner,

You had my full sympathy until you came on here and started acting irate and childish. I am terrible sorry about your dog, but ultimately YOU need to take some responsibility in her death, RIP Penny.

[K9soul]

I think the man who shot Penny SOUNDS like a drunken, heartless human being, but I have only read the articles and things said here. I certainly believe he should not have shot poor Penny. Better he had called Animal Control and reported the situation, I am not sure if he had done so in the past. No one here believes Penny deserved to lose her life, I promise you that. People are upset because this was preventable. I just adopted a new puppy myself and she is completely and totally my responsibility. There is a leash law here and if she went wandering off and someone hurt her, it would ultimately be my fault. It is the same when a dog wanders out of the yard and ends up hit by a car, ultimately it is the responsibility of the dog's owner to keep their pet safe.

I know you must feel horrible, and that it has to be difficult to read some of these things, but it ultimately it would be best to just understand that responsibility to Penny was neglected in this, and thus prevent anything like it from ever happening again.

I personally have had times when I was careless, i.e. I open the front door and one of my dogs shot out. I didn't take care to make sure I was paying attention and keep it from happening. It was an accident but if something had happened, it still ultimately would have been my fault. My dogs are very good about staying in the yard so it was no big deal, BUT there is always a risk.

People here are very deeply animal lovers, and they are extremely saddened and upset to learn what happened to Penny, but we see that it was preventable too, thus the opinions expressed here. If my dog had gotten hurt or killed when he ran out the door, no matter if it was an accident, no matter if I had been sick or tired and thus not paying as much attention, it would still be my fault. That would be the hardest thing in the world to face, but it would be undeniable.

My deepest sympathies in your loss.