Is it legal to shoot your own dog?

peasant

Hi

I have third hand information (ie. I wasn't there and I don't know the full details ...only what somebody told me) of someone shooting their own dog.

The story goes, that the dog was basically neglected and left pretty much to its own devices. So it took to wandering off on its own and scrounging food and attention off other people.
One person kept feeding the dog and looked after it. After a few days that person managed to locate the real owners of that dog and gave it back, stating at the same time, that they would be intereted in taking the dog themselves. When they came back some days later, to inquire about the dog again, they were informed that the dog had been shot (by its owner) as it was "making trouble" and apparently was chasing sheep (not the owners' sheep) as well.

Besides that being totally shabby and wrong ...after all that other person would have taken on the responsibility for that dog and kept it under control, but the owners obviously dindn't want anyone else to have "their" dog either ...is it actually legal to just go ahead and kill your own dog for whatever reason??

Is there anything that can be done about this?

Sigma Force

Farmers have the right to shoot dogs on their land chasing sheep I belive but wether or not it's legal to shoot your own dog I'm not sure. It's done all too much in the countryside. If the firearm was legal Im not sure what anyone can do unless the dog was injured and not killed by the shot. Be interested to read that actual facts if anyone has them.

peasant

Well...

One fact is, that the dog was "disposed of" even though somebody had offered to take the responsiblity for it.

The chasing of sheep had happened previously and as far as I was informed was not the actual reason for killing the dog ...it certainly wasn't killed by a farmer and / or in the act of chasing sheep and / or on smoebody elses land but in the owner's back yard by the owner himself.

So not only did the owner not take proper care of the the dog and allowed it to roam, but he also killed it for doing just that ...just makes me sick!
Especially in light of the fact that somebody else had offered to take the responsibility for that dog.
But that dog was "his property" and he wouldn't let anyone else "interfere" with it...so he just went and shot it :eek:

I'd love to find a legal way to "repay" people like that for their "kindness" :mad:

Texas

I used to know a guy who shot his own dog. It was a jack russell terrier and it had bitten his nephews face quite badly.

A few years later, the same guy was asked by the owner of a problem cat to bring it to the vet to have it put to sleep... she didn't have the heart to bring it herself. He kept the money she gave him to pay for the vet and despatched the cat himself. I was unfortunate enough to find it's body a few days later.. I'll never forget it.

I thought about reporting this to the police... but decided they wouldn't be interested. I couldn't tell the owner, she would have been heartbroken. Who could I have told??

Whats even worse is that I'm told by friends that this guy now owns and runs a pet shop...

Saruman

OK while i dont condone the killing of animals, unless of course its suffering and almost dead etc... anyway the cat was going to be put down.. either way it was going to die. I dont see what actual difference it should make in the long run whether it was by lethal injection (if thats how its done) or a bullet to the brain.
The fact the person owns a pet shop is also unrelated. Lets put it this way. A farmer has the right to kill a horse or other animal as far as i know.

Personally i think its horrible for someone to kill an animal but legally i dont know, its probably fine. What we need is someone who knows law to check it out.

eth0_

Saruman wrote:

OK while i dont condone the killing of animals, unless of course its suffering and almost dead etc... anyway the cat was going to be put down.. either way it was going to die. I dont see what actual difference it should make in the long run whether it was by lethal injection (if thats how its done) or a bullet to the brain.

It's bloody cruel to kill an animal by gunshot without even stunning it first. Animals should only be dispatched in this way by a trained shooter who won't f*ck it up and cause the animal more suffering.

Also, don't you think it was morally wrong of him to take this womans money that she gave him to have her pet humanely put down, only to shoot the poor things head off?

Saruman

Thats not exactly what i was trying to say then again i was not paying too much attention to what i typed so i think i made a mess of the post.

I think what i was trying to say was forget morals, Legally there probably was not any reason he did what he did.

Morally of course its horrible and like i said, i do not condone the killing of animals for any reason other than i stated.

Kintarō Hattori

I agree with etho.
It's horrible to think of someone's cherished pet being shot by some greedy c*nt, rather than dying a far more peaceful and humane manner.
I had to have my cat put down about a year ago and if someone seriously suggested shooting him, I would have thuumped that person without a second thought.

Texas

He borrowed his next door neighbours shotgun to despatch his dog. The cat wasn't so lucky, he didn't have access to a gun then.

I challanged him about it when I found the cats body as I was enraged and sickened... he told me how he killed it.... I was physically sick...and just in case anyone asks..no, I won't be posting how he did it... he's a sick individual.

doctor evil

peasant wrote:

...is it actually legal to just go ahead and kill your own dog for whatever reason??

Is there anything that can be done about this?

As long as its done properly does it really matter?.

Saruman

Texas wrote:

He borrowed his next door neighbours shotgun to despatch his dog. The cat wasn't so lucky, he didn't have access to a gun then.

I challanged him about it when I found the cats body as I was enraged and sickened... he told me how he killed it.... I was physically sick...and just in case anyone asks..no, I won't be posting how he did it... he's a sick individual.

Now that makes more sense as to why he should not run a pet shop. If he was a farmer with a gun used to killing his own animals when it was needed that was one thing. But this is something else.

Next time you find some road kill, leave it on his car with a note saying murderer or something like that.

Texas

Saruman wrote:

Now that makes more sense as to why he should not run a pet shop. If he was a farmer with a gun used to killing his own animals when it was needed that was one thing. But this is something else.

Next time you find some road kill, leave it on his car with a note saying murderer or something like that.

I've thought about doing something....especially when as I said before that I heard he owns his own pet shop now.. but I have no idea where the shop is, or where he lives now...

peasant

doctor evil wrote:

As long as its done properly does it really matter?.

How about a reason for killing it ?

Or justification?

Is it ok to just kill a pet willy-nilly ?

The dog is too much hassle, so just shoot it?

I know of countries where it is actually illegal to kill an animal for no good reason ...you could go to prison for that there ...and rightly so, IMO