Shooting someone else's dogs-Arrest

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cb1000rider
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Re: Shooting someone else's dogs-Arrest

#16

Post by cb1000rider »

cb1000rider wrote:....I'm sure I look like a weird-o.
What's that saying?...... "If it looks like a duck....."
[/quote]

Perfectly fair...

No "MWG" calls so far.. Although to avoid that scenario, I remove the barrel. :-)
So I'm still appropriately paranoid.

Cedar Park Dad
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Re: Shooting someone else's dogs-Arrest

#17

Post by Cedar Park Dad »

cb1000rider wrote:Out here, about 50% of the dogs are what I call "free range". I always assumed it was tied to demographics, but several of these dogs are owned by well educated reasonably wealthy people. One, whose dog is a consistent pain, is an ex NFL players dog - nicest guy you'd meet, but his dog has the run of the whole neighborhood and is a great garbage thief.

Most of them pose no threat to people. A few are quite nice. In 5 years, we've only had one bite and those only occur when you're walking your dog. I know that one of them has been hit by cars twice, but he's still ticking. The worst are the smaller breeds that try to bite and run.

One neighbor told me that I'm crazy if I think I can come into the neighborhood and change the way things have been for the last 40 years...

I think there are some good country folk that have always had free range dogs. There really isn't much I can do about it. Calling the county to have them picked up has a minimum 24 hour turn around time before they'll even come out and most of these dogs are smart. Our dogs are fenced, but regularly we've got through fence barking (well inside my property) - it only raises the aggression level when they meet outside the fence.

I don't worry about my dogs getting hurt - they're big enough and young enough that they'll do fine. However, when they get tangled up, my wife has been bitten and it's dangerous around my child. We've got two big dogs that can be hard to control on leash if they're tangled up with another dog.

My solution has been to carry a paintball gun if I'm in an area where I know I'm going to encounter problems. I don't actually shoot paintballs at them, just the sound of the gun firing has them running for the hills... It's a pain to do that though and I'm sure I look like a weird-o.

I guess it's a bit of a cultural clash.
Interesting idea. I wonder is a simple air horn would do the trick?
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TVGuy
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Re: Shooting someone else's dogs-Arrest

#18

Post by TVGuy »

Kawabuggy wrote:middleageruss has it right. This guy failed in the very basic tenant of shutting yer pie-hole after solving the problem.

When I hear the animal lovers crying about the cruelty perpetrated on their beloved pet I want to ask them, and how do you feel when the same pet is hit & killed by a car because YOU were too stupid to secure your pet? Is it any different? Because a car hits it we like to call it "an accident". But when someone shoots it, it's a felony. Hmm... End result is the same, and either way it could have been avoided had the owner done THEIR job.

I'm not advocating shooting peoples pets but I am advocating placing responsibility on the pet owners for controlling their animals.
That makes zero sense. One is a crime and one is an accident. That having been said, it drives me insane to see people without their dog on a leash or in a fenced yard. It's illegal in my area to walk a dog without a leash. I'm not advocating letting your dogs run free, but shooting without reason is a felony.
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TVGuy
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Re: Shooting someone else's dogs-Arrest

#19

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Rex B wrote:A good friend of mine kept guinea hens at his home. They ran in his unfenced 2-acre yard and never got close to the property line. Then a new family moved in nearby. Dad was a cop at a nearby large city. They had two large purebred dogs they were real proud of. Of course, my friend started losing a chicken or two shortly after, finding them mangled but not eaten. One evening he heard a commotion outside and saw both those dogs in his back yard, each with a chicken in it's mouth. He stepped outside and drilled both dogs with his 30-30. Then he loaded up the dogs in his pickup, drove to the neighbors house, dropped the tailgate, and said "Here's your dogs. You owe me $XX for the chickens they killed". He got paid.

It's long established in common law that if an animal is on your property attacking your livestock, you can kill it. The owner of that animal (if any) has no recourse.
This guy made it into an International Incident with his FB post. Now the local law enforcement are bound to investigate it, and try to find something to charge the guy with - just to satisfy the public outcry. Expensive lesson, that.
Since there is no mention of harming livestock, this isn't "satisfying public outcry". This is enforcing the law.
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puma guy
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Re: Shooting someone else's dogs-Arrest

#20

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The area I hunt (Comal Co) has signs along the roadways alerting owners of $500 fines for dogs at large. Our lease owner Tom told me if I ever see a dog shot it. One time I had several deer run at top speed across one of my shooting lanes followed by a pack of dogs. One little short legged corgi stopped to rest about 5 yards away from my stand. I had my .357 Ruger, so I took aim at a point behind it so that the bullet would throw up some caliche. I didn't even see it leave. "rlol" We had several Rottweilers show up and the man that owned property near our camp house had two mastiffs he let run at large. The owner had other issues with him as well. The following year we didn't see any of those dogs. I'm a dog lover and would find it hard to shoot one. But before you judge the owner too harshly I must tell you he breeds prize Beef Master cattle and his animals sell for thousands of dollars to cattle ranchers. I just assumed he took them out as he made his rounds. Tom passed away and his son moved back to take over. He has two large dogs that are with him all the time and I know they chase deer. He has a completely different attitude about dogs and though he didn't say it outright I can tell he doesn't agree shooting dogs at large. A new owner of the property near the camp house has three large grown dogs that I've seen chasing deer and they wander around our camp house and tear up the garbage, so we keep it hanging now. Now there's a litter of 6 puppies that have joined them. We spoke to the new owner and his foreman, but so far it has done no good. We still have deer but not nearly as many and they avoid certain areas of the lease. I have to assume they are not molesting the calves.
I was in Quinlan about three months ago and though it's rural I don't remember seeing any signs about dogs at large. The area is mostly farms though there are cattle and horses. Since there were no details on why the guy took the action he did I'll wait fro more information to surface before I make up my mind.
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Re: Shooting someone else's dogs-Arrest

#21

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TVGuy wrote: Since there is no mention of harming livestock, this isn't "satisfying public outcry". This is enforcing the law.
"According to a family friend, the incident happened at Tim Conatser's barn. That's where the dogs allegedly attacked Conatser's livestock and the property-owner shot and killed them.

Family friend Kevin Forester said Conatser found the dogs inside his barn a couple of days earlier, while they were attacking his calf, and recognized them as belonging to his neighbor.

“So he went over to his neighbor's and told him that his dogs was getting in his barn and attacking his animals, to please ya know keep 'em at home, put 'em on a leash, build a fence, do something," recalled Forester.

The friend says Conatser told him the neighbor didn't care."

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2015/02/25/fire ... s-outrage/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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rbwhatever1
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Re: Shooting someone else's dogs-Arrest

#22

Post by rbwhatever1 »

All of the dogs around here are farm dogs and they don't venture off their property. I cant think of one single issue anyone ever had out here with anybody else's dogs roaming the countryside. I'm guessing not having neighbors close enough to see might help a bit. After reading some of these posts I'm glad I don't have any issues with people or their pets. My LGD's are free range like all the other farm dogs out here and keep a good watch over things. I've never seen them off my property except at the front gate to the county road trying to run off the mailman or fedex guy dropping a package.

Like others have posted, if a stray dog is attacking or chasing livestock it would probably be shot quickly and left for the buzzards.
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TVGuy
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Re: Shooting someone else's dogs-Arrest

#23

Post by TVGuy »

Rex B wrote:
TVGuy wrote: Since there is no mention of harming livestock, this isn't "satisfying public outcry". This is enforcing the law.
"According to a family friend, the incident happened at Tim Conatser's barn. That's where the dogs allegedly attacked Conatser's livestock and the property-owner shot and killed them.

Family friend Kevin Forester said Conatser found the dogs inside his barn a couple of days earlier, while they were attacking his calf, and recognized them as belonging to his neighbor.

“So he went over to his neighbor's and told him that his dogs was getting in his barn and attacking his animals, to please ya know keep 'em at home, put 'em on a leash, build a fence, do something," recalled Forester.

The friend says Conatser told him the neighbor didn't care."

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2015/02/25/fire ... s-outrage/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The story you posted was over a week old (the one I linked to was current as of yesterday), it seems that the investigation proved it was not in defense of livestock.

cb1000rider
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Re: Shooting someone else's dogs-Arrest

#24

Post by cb1000rider »

TVGuy wrote: The story you posted was over a week old (the one I linked to was current as of yesterday), it seems that the investigation proved it was not in defense of livestock.
It's trivial to justify... There must be something else going on.
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TVGuy
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Re: Shooting someone else's dogs-Arrest

#25

Post by TVGuy »

cb1000rider wrote:
TVGuy wrote: The story you posted was over a week old (the one I linked to was current as of yesterday), it seems that the investigation proved it was not in defense of livestock.
It's trivial to justify... There must be something else going on.
I'm not sure what you mean. The CBS story was posted when the event happened and said they were investigating. A week later he is arrested on two felony counts. He's obviously innocent until proven guilty, but it is logical to surmise that the defense of livestock story didn't hold up.

Given the fact that he's a first responder and it happened in the country would lead one to believe that the authorities would lean toward not pressing charges without some solid evidence. If it were a gangbanger in Dallas or Houston I would think they might lean toward unjust prosecution.

What do think might be going on?

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Re: Shooting someone else's dogs-Arrest

#26

Post by Rex B »

The charges should be public record. No one knows what they are?
It remains to be seen whether they will stick once the furor dies down.
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Re: Shooting someone else's dogs-Arrest

#27

Post by TVGuy »

Rex B wrote:The charges should be public record. No one knows what they are?
It remains to be seen whether they will stick once the furor dies down.
The charges are, felony animal cruelty. I don't believe the evidence has to be public record until presented in trial.

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Re: Shooting someone else's dogs-Arrest

#28

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rbwhatever1 wrote:All of the dogs around here are farm dogs and they don't venture off their property. I cant think of one single issue anyone ever had out here with anybody else's dogs roaming the countryside. I'm guessing not having neighbors close enough to see might help a bit. After reading some of these posts I'm glad I don't have any issues with people or their pets. My LGD's are free range like all the other farm dogs out here and keep a good watch over things. I've never seen them off my property except at the front gate to the county road trying to run off the mailman or fedex guy dropping a package.

Like others have posted, if a stray dog is attacking or chasing livestock it would probably be shot quickly and left for the buzzards.
You've been lucky, and to be lucky is a very good trait indeed.

We know a very nice couple with hundreds of well-fenced acres who have exotics including wallabees that neighbor dogs have killed after digging-under their fence. Upon imploring the dogs' owner to control them he said simply "ain't gonna do it just shoot 'em if they bother you" and of course these people are animal Lovers not animal Killers. A quandry that proves once again, "people are just no damn good". Oh, and the worst people are neighbors. And the worst neighbors have dogs. ;-)

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Re: Shooting someone else's dogs-Arrest

#29

Post by MechAg94 »

TVGuy wrote:
cb1000rider wrote:
TVGuy wrote: The story you posted was over a week old (the one I linked to was current as of yesterday), it seems that the investigation proved it was not in defense of livestock.
It's trivial to justify... There must be something else going on.
I'm not sure what you mean. The CBS story was posted when the event happened and said they were investigating. A week later he is arrested on two felony counts. He's obviously innocent until proven guilty, but it is logical to surmise that the defense of livestock story didn't hold up.

Given the fact that he's a first responder and it happened in the country would lead one to believe that the authorities would lean toward not pressing charges without some solid evidence. If it were a gangbanger in Dallas or Houston I would think they might lean toward unjust prosecution.

What do think might be going on?
I hope I will never underestimate the power of politics to push govt actions regardless of the circumstances.

cb1000rider
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Re: Shooting someone else's dogs-Arrest

#30

Post by cb1000rider »

TVGuy wrote: What do think might be going on?
I think that you'd have to be an idiot and practically hand them a case to get arrested for something like this. IE - They were on my yard, not bothering anything, and I shot 'em..

A simple, they were on my yard, barking, snarling, and I was in fear of my life... They were trying to kill my cat... They were chasing my chicken... Any number of excuses.

I'm no dog killer, but how you get arrested for this has to be related to making a *really* stupid statement or something else is going on.
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