06-15-2011, 04:30 AM
I agree with the sheep's in principal. Granted, I would have used a firearm over a crossbow.
An aggressive dog attacking livestock or people on my property automatically gets that response. Said response is both legal and appropriate. The dog should not have been able to leave it's owners property. I do not see how the sheep's owner should suffer because of someone else's screwup. The dog's owner is liable for any damages, and possible criminal charges for letting his dog harass and potentially damage other people's property. If it had actually injured or killed the sheep, the police/humane society would be putting the dog down anyhow.
Not to mention, I put my pets and livestocks wellbeing and value over that of an animal getting at them. That is how the world works.
Btw, once a dog breaks training and actually starts attacking something, it is extremely dangerous to try to separate the animal from it's target. Not to mention that scaring it off wouldn't have worked. They get rather one sided on what they are doing once the blood gets flowing.
And yes, I am a hunter. From bear to moose to caribou to wolves. If I were back home, this would have been solved with a suppressed rifle. Animals attacking livestock is not to be allowed. In nearly every state, the dogs owner would be criminally and civilly liable for damages.
Either way, it's amazing how your distinctions qualify dogs as a higher value pet then the sheep. Monetarily, the sheep has easily 3-4x the value of your average dog. Sheep also make good pets, plus they mow your lawn.
Would you have been happier of the guy sat there and watched his sheep die painfully from disembowelment? That's usually how the canine family works. Not to mention, the dogs owner would end up in jail for cruelty.
The point of the matter is, the dog was where it was not, doing what it should not. If it was a person attacking someone, they would get the exact same response. People need to take responsibility for their actions, not blaming someone else. They were an idiot and let their dog out. It did something stupid and got shot. The dog's owner is at fault.
No tears shed here.
An aggressive dog attacking livestock or people on my property automatically gets that response. Said response is both legal and appropriate. The dog should not have been able to leave it's owners property. I do not see how the sheep's owner should suffer because of someone else's screwup. The dog's owner is liable for any damages, and possible criminal charges for letting his dog harass and potentially damage other people's property. If it had actually injured or killed the sheep, the police/humane society would be putting the dog down anyhow.
Not to mention, I put my pets and livestocks wellbeing and value over that of an animal getting at them. That is how the world works.
Btw, once a dog breaks training and actually starts attacking something, it is extremely dangerous to try to separate the animal from it's target. Not to mention that scaring it off wouldn't have worked. They get rather one sided on what they are doing once the blood gets flowing.
And yes, I am a hunter. From bear to moose to caribou to wolves. If I were back home, this would have been solved with a suppressed rifle. Animals attacking livestock is not to be allowed. In nearly every state, the dogs owner would be criminally and civilly liable for damages.
Either way, it's amazing how your distinctions qualify dogs as a higher value pet then the sheep. Monetarily, the sheep has easily 3-4x the value of your average dog. Sheep also make good pets, plus they mow your lawn.
Would you have been happier of the guy sat there and watched his sheep die painfully from disembowelment? That's usually how the canine family works. Not to mention, the dogs owner would end up in jail for cruelty.
The point of the matter is, the dog was where it was not, doing what it should not. If it was a person attacking someone, they would get the exact same response. People need to take responsibility for their actions, not blaming someone else. They were an idiot and let their dog out. It did something stupid and got shot. The dog's owner is at fault.
No tears shed here.