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Nation & World: Saturday, January 25, 2003
Man killed trying to beat dog to death

By Ian Shapira
The Washington Post






WASHINGTON — Debbie Poore told police that her husband of three weeks called her at work Thursday evening to say their dog, a 2-year-old Shar-Pei, had bitten him on the hand — and that he was going to kill it.

She raced to their Winchester, Va., mobile home, she said, and found Raymond "Raven" Poore, 43, dead or dying in a pool of blood with a gunshot wound to his abdomen and the dog, still alive, with its throat torn open and gashes on its face.

That was the scene, and police were left to interpret the mystery.

Winchester police Capt. David Sobonya said Poore, a construction worker, apparently was beating the dog on the head with the butt of a rifle-shotgun when it discharged and hit him in the lower abdomen. Police said there was dog hair on the butt of the weapon, which had a .22-caliber rifle barrel atop a .410-gauge shotgun barrel and was used to hunt small game.

Poore's death is being considered accidental, according to Lt. Greg Printz, but the investigation remains open while police wait for autopsy results and other forensic evidence.

"We have not ruled out anything at this point," Printz said.

The dog, a female named Bailey, was destroyed yesterday morning by Frederick County animal-control officers at Debbie Poore's request. The couple had received the dog from a friend about eight months ago.

"When an owner makes a request for a violent dog to be euthanized, it's granted," said Susan Bobinsky, executive director of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which runs the shelter where Bailey was taken Thursday night. In less severe cases, Bobinsky said, animals are given 10 days in which to show improvement in their temperament.

Shar-Peis — the name means "sand skin" — are known for short coats and loose skin that lies in folds on their faces and bodies. They aren't known to be aggressive, said Joyce Hanes of the Mid-Atlantic Chinese Shar-Pei Rescue Operation, which has rescued 600 neglected, abandoned and abused Shar-Peis in 13 states.

"In the 20 years I've been in the business, we've had to put three of these dogs down for suspected aggression problems," Hanes said. "These are very protective animals. And, if they growl, they're saying, 'I'm afraid of you.' "

Debbie Poore, a Frederick County food-service employee, said her husband had a history of sparring with the dog. "But I kept telling him, 'You shouldn't play rough with her,' " she said, declining to comment further.