That is horrible
Maybe report to local Animal Services?
Here is an article from ASPCA on reporting cruelty
http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/report-animal-cruelty.html

Not that I agree with what the man did ....because I totally don't and would never take something out on the animal. But your friend should not be letting her dog roam free especially since she had warning that the guy was a loon. If she wants the problem to stop it seems like the easy solution would be for her to confine her animals to her own yard. Maybe theres a reason the guy hates dogs so much. Maybe they keep coming onto his land and eating the veggies he grows to feed his family...or maybe he raises rabbits or something else that dogs interfer with. Again not justifying what the guy did but your friend is no innocent victim....unlike the dogs she owns.

They are purebreads that got out by accident. It does not even matter- no one should ever shoot an animal let alone a domestic family pet! It is not the animals fault that they are out. This man is also known for poaching- how sick is that. Would you justify hitting a child on purpose because they ran out in front of your car- No! It is not justifiable what that man did. There are too many other alternatives to killing a families pet. Call animal control.

I agree which is why I said not justifying...but the way the original post read it seemed like it had happened before....I was merely pointing out that to stop this from happening again your friend should not let her dogs roam. If she does not then I am sorry I assumed she did. But I also know some people think its alright to let their pets roam because they don't live in the city, bad for the animals and their neighbors IMHO.

In most rural areas, at least the ones I've lived in, farmers or property owners have the right to shoot an animal they see as a treat to their livestock. Some people don't even claim to own livestock.......they just shoot any dog on their property.

It's up to your friend to make sure this doesn't happen again by keeping control of her dogs.
I'm not saying she's not being truthful, but I like to hear both sides of the story before I pass judgement. It's possible her two dogs were chasing something on his property.

I have to agree with most of the people who posted here. Dogs kill much more livestock than rural farmers or ranchers kill dogs. Your friend needs to put her dogs in a place of being able to run out their hyperness everyday somewhere else. She needs to honor the property of others and if she needs to prove her dogs are not at fault in the future she needs to rig up a remote camera and video system. Sorry to hear her dogs got loose, but in my opinion it is like a dog getting out near a freeway and the dog getting hit by a car. She needs to take steps to secure her dogs safety in the future and secure the perimeter of her property, just because they got out by accident does not mean it is okay. I too dont think shooting a dog is the right way to deal with a stray dog, and it is horrible to think of what that poor dog went through, but it is the owners responsibility.

To answer your question 'Can the City interfene.'

The answer is probably. Check the rules and you'll likely find that the owner of the dogs can be fined for allowing them to run free. The casual nature that you mention that the dogs were out 'by accident' suggests this is not the first time there has been an 'accidental' escape. If she's allowing them in the yard unsupervised, she needs to examine the fencing daily, and ensure gates are padlocked. Then there will be no further 'accidents.'

I agree that she was negligent. This man does not even have any livestock. He is a very unkind and uneducated man. She does need to take extreme measures to keep her dogs in her yard. I appreciate your input. I have never lived in a rural area so this seemed very primitive and harsh.

If they live in the country, I doubt the City will intervene, or any other government agency for that matter. There are laws against animal cruelty which will include shooting them, but proving who shot the dogs is almost impossible- the neighbor will most certainly lie. Even if he doesn't lie, the dog owner will have to go through the court system and may end up with charges against her as well, if there are anti-roaming laws.

The owner of the dogs is responsible for their well-being, and that includes keeping them safely on her property. If the man is shooting them on her property, that is a completely different issue.

I have 2 rescues with gunshot wounds. We know who shot Lil Girl and we know there will be no charges made against him. The best the owner could do is get her out of the situation. We don't know who shot The Liberator. His wounds were much more extensive (2 broken legs) and the owner could not continue to care for him.

Lil Girl

The Liberator (Alex II)

Oh- Meghane they are beautiful! I am so sorry to hear about their innocent attack. It is such a shame and my heart goes out to these poor animals. My friend does think the man shot the second dog on her property b/c he chased him over to her property. I sure hope your rescues recover quickly.

We were city people who moved to the country in 1966. We did not have our female dog spayed, and when she went into heat, all he!! broke loose! A huge shepherd-type dog broke into our screened porch to get at her. Mom got her in the house in time, but the dog appeared ready to jump through the huge glass window to get at her. Mom had a shotgun and didn't know how to use it, but was pointing it at the male dog, ready to shoot if he got through the glass. The sherrif arrived and did nothing, too afraid to get out of the car. Funny, but I cannot remember how the story ended.

In those days, dogs were often thought of as outdoor animals and ours were almost always in the barn or in the yard. Never tied. If they had gotten onto a farmer's land, they would have been shot, justifiably so.

My sister''s friend lives in a rural area. She lost all her chickens to some dogs. He chickens were her pets, too. It was very hard for her.

I'm sorry to hear what happened, but as others say, that's pretty much what happens in the country. It may well have been unnecessary....

I would counsel her to make sure the dogs are a lot more secure than they are now. To do so means spending some money on a decent run with chainlink and a foundation they cannot dig under.

It's much better to keep them in, than to start a beef with a neighbour who likes shooting things. I'm not saying don't stand up for your rights, but don't borrow trouble. Shootings arise from neighbour disputes ALL the time.

as a resident of the boonies, and a HUGE dog lover, i can relate to both sides. it's BECAUSE i am a dog lover that my dogs are supervised when they are outside and not allowed to wander off the farm.

i have horses, one big horse and 2 miniature horses. more than once, i have had to call animal control to pick up a stray dog that was chasing my horses. that is something my own dogs are NOT allowed to do and i will absolutely not tolerate it from ANY dog. had animal control been unavailable, i would have shot them myself.

we've had everything from pitbulls to pussy cats dumped on us. i cannot, nor do i wish, to save them all. not only do i not want them terrorizing my horses, i would prefer that they not be here spreading parasites and God only knows what else.

there is a lovely black lab a few miles down the road from us. he stays on his property just fine. that is, unless you are going by on a bicycle or motorcycle. occasionally, he will dart out to take a run at my truck. last weekend, my nephew (who is home on leave from iraq) and his wife were coming out to visit. when they went past this farm, the dog ran out at them, they swerved to miss him and ended up laying the bike down. broken ribs, broken arms and severe road rash later, THEY objected when the dog's owner said that was the last straw...he was going to shoot the dog. it makes my blood boil to think a perfectly nice dog is probably dead because this guy is too lazy to train it.

stepping down from my soap box now. *sigh*

Oh My, ninapearle- that is awful! Unleashed dogs, roaming about can create lots of problems. They can be very intimidating to strangers. It does explain why people over-react. It also puts the need for pet owners to be more responsible with their pets , to train and supervise them properly.