bk_blue Posted September 4, 2003 Share Posted September 4, 2003 I heard this on the radio today. :cry: Luke, a 10 month old boxer who lived on a property near Bendigo (country Victoria), had "slipped his chain" and got into a neighbouring paddock stocked with cattle. The 7 and 10 yr old boy owners of Luke ran to get him away from the cattle. The owner of the cattle drove up in his ute and said to the boys, "I'll give you five minutes to get your dog out or I'll shoot him." The boys at this stage (can you imagine being 10 yrs old and hearing that??) were frightened and were calling Luke back, who was on his way back to them, when the man pulled out a shotgun while driving his ute and shot Luke in the leg. Then he shot him in the stomach. Then when Luke fell to the ground he shot him in the head. Got out of the ute and [color=red]kicked him to make sure he was dead. [/color] The children by this stage were hysterical and had run off screaming to their mother, who then called the police, RSPCA, etc. and made a call to the radio and spoke to the RSPCA president. Now the law here in Victoria is that the farmer has the right to destroy any animal on his property harassing his livestock (or soemthing to that effect, where oh where is Shady Lady when I need her). And of course the poor Boxer puppy should have been more securely tied, or something (no points to the owners of this beautiful pup). But I don't think there is anything to excuse the brutality of the man's actions. Especially in front of CHILDREN. I'm disgusted. The RSPCA will investigate a cruelty claim... but it will get nowhere... and shooting an animal on your land "harassing" your livestock is legal... it's so sad... :cry: :cry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowie-the-Pooh Posted September 4, 2003 Share Posted September 4, 2003 oh my dog! How sad! Poor Luke and owners! [b][size=6]10 and 7 year olds?!?![/size][/b] What was this man thinking? Has he no heart? What a horrible man! He should go to jail! But of course nothing will be done about it... :cry: Poor, poor children... if I ever saw anything like that, while I was a 10 year old, it would huant me forever... :cry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GetLiz Posted September 4, 2003 Share Posted September 4, 2003 Ou my God! :cry: :cry: :cry: I guess I should'nt read this... :cry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellieangel Posted September 4, 2003 Share Posted September 4, 2003 My kids are 7 and 10 and if something like this happened to them it would destroy them :( Mind you I have to add my kids aren't allowed to walk the dogs :-? Poor Luke :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bk_blue Posted September 4, 2003 Author Share Posted September 4, 2003 Ellie- the "everyone trusts everyone" mindset is still alive and well in the country. If I lived where they were living I wouldn't think twice about letting my kids go out and play with the dog (sorry, just to clarify, they weren't actually on a walk, the dog had got out of the yard and the kids were going to get him back). You just don't think someone will go and kill a dog that was posing no threat to livestock until it actually happens. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stacer126 Posted September 4, 2003 Share Posted September 4, 2003 If I was the mother of the boys I would go over and kill one of his cattle claiming it was harrassing my dog to go over there. Poor Luke and those boys :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelboddy Posted September 4, 2003 Share Posted September 4, 2003 Oh those poor boys. :cry: And poor sweet Luke. :cry: I would just be so devastated if that were me at that age. And to think of what the mother is going though now. :( Rest in peace sweet Luke. :angel: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted September 4, 2003 Share Posted September 4, 2003 Although I cannot condone shooting of any dog, as a livestock owner, I cannot tell you how many times that "law" has helped my animals. For many, owning livestock is thier livelyhood. That means money. When a dog attacks livestock, they can not only kill the animal outright, they most often cause $$$$ in damages to the animal.. which comes out of the farmers pocket. I have many goats. All are bottle fed and are my babies. Each have names and personalities, all come when called, I am thier "mom". I have been attacked by dogs twice, lost a couple in the event and shed many tears over the injured. At times like that, as much as I love dogs.. and I am a trainer/competitor/SAR dog handler.. I wouldn't think twice of shooting the dogs responsible. In both cases here, I was not home at the time. In this case... its sad the kids had to be there. No kid deserves that!! I have two children and do understand that aspect. It only breeds hate. We have a neighbor dog who constantly gets loose and he always shows up here. Most times the owner, a young boy of about 12 yrs, comes to retrieve him. Twice he has went in the goat pen and ran them. Once he was almost shot. I do try to call the dogs off first and foremost, try to chase them out, stop the game.. usually it works. But not always, something has to give. Is a dogs life more important than a goats? To each thier own to decide. That last attack I had cost me over $1000 in vet bills to repair the ones I could and euth the ones that couldn't. The three "s"'s are a way of life in farming.. shoot,shovel, and shut up. People ruined it for themselves, the dogs didn't. JMHO, Mom to many Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanvean Posted September 4, 2003 Share Posted September 4, 2003 Momtomany, are you from the Catholic Women forum? (My username is Sanvean over there, as well.) I certainly sympathize with livestock owners whose animals are harrassed, but what this guy did was pretty appalling...it didn't sound like the cattle were in any danger, and shooting a pet in front of its young owners is abominable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imported_Cassie Posted September 4, 2003 Share Posted September 4, 2003 Mom to many, I certainly understand the hardships farmers go through due to the ignorance of alot of dog owners. I love my dogs, but, my dogs are secured in a huge kennel...I have most of my back yard fenced off with 9 ft high fencing (I doubt very much my Newf's would even tackle trying to get over a 2 ft fence! :lol: but, I do have a Rottweiler also) it is the owners responsibility when they obtain a dog to ensure they have the proper confinment for the dog....fencing in my opinion is the best way to ensure this. Mistakes can happen, but, if they happen over and over again it is no longer a mistake...it is carelessness! although I do emphasize with the parents of the children which were subjected to having their dog shot in front of them...that was uncalled for on the behalf of the farmer...but, if this is some thing that happens alot...the boxer getting loose over and over...running down and chasing the cattle and causing them undue stress...perhaps the farmer was finally at the end of his rope. What makes me mad is the people who live in the country who just let there dogs run loose all the time...because they have decided that it is an unspoken rule that it is ok to do this....you see many people advertising...."to give away to a good country home for a dog that needs space to run" - :o ...shouldn't that be reworded to "to give away to a good home which can provide proper restraint for this dog, perferably some one with a huge fenced in yard for a dog which requires alot of exercise"....or "some one who will actually walk the dog and give it the exercise it requires." I live in the country and although I do not have livestock I do hear alot of people bitching about other people's dogs running loose all the time. Some owners are so thick headed that they actually defend the fact they let their dogs run free...because they live in the country. The saddest time is the winter when the snow gets deep and it forms a layer of ice on top...the deer have a hard time in this weather...then you have a bunch of dogs running loose which will chase these deer, while they are running on top the deers are plunging through and loosing strength...they finally die of exhaustion...that is sad and it happens alot... I would also really be interested if this was the boxers first offence at running after the livestock...or if this was a frequent problem. I feel very bad for any dog that has been shot...but, most times there are 2 sides to every story. I do want to stress that it was a very cold hearted thing to do shooting the dog in front of the children...now, that was uncalled for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aonir Posted September 4, 2003 Share Posted September 4, 2003 How can people do this in front of CHILDREN?! My cousins husband tried to kill a cat that kept getting into his trash. In front of his child! Now his child thinks its OK to kill a kitty that is hungry and looking for food on his property. He actually thinks animal cruelty is FUN. It really disgusts me as I know he'll never show respect for animals. I grew up with loose animals running everywhere! We kept our dogs in a fenced yard, and neighbors dogs always came to visit... When I rode my bike around the block, this one dog would bark and chase me :o She was a sweet dog, but it was rather uncomfortable to be chased. We live around hunters and such, but we all have an understanding about the others pets. We have people who have chickens, pigs, and a wild fox (we have no idea how it showed up) running around. No dead chickens yet (besides from that lil fox!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aroura Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 :cry: :cry: :cry: I knew I shouldn't have read this one!!! That farmer should count himself lucky I'm not his neighbour because I can assure you, if they were my kids, and that dog was Lily I can guarentee he would be paying for it!!! My rage would get in front of any common sence I might have, I would honestly pay him a visit with a can of kero right in the middle of the night when he was asleep and least expecting it and I would burn his whole house down. That bastard would get what was coming to him!!! :evil: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bk_blue Posted September 5, 2003 Author Share Posted September 5, 2003 [quote name='Cassie'] What makes me mad is the people who live in the country who just let there dogs run loose all the time...because they have decided that it is an unspoken rule that it is ok to do this.[/quote] I agree with this. It's not safe for the dog, the owners, or the general public. I get so annoyed with people who think it's ok if their dog roams around the city all day, and I don't even have lcattle to worry about. :-? And I do agree that farmers have the right to protect their livestock (which is why the law is there). However I don't think a 10 month old puppy is going to do damage to full grown cattle (calves would be perhaps a different story). And shooting the puppy in a brutal fashion in front of children (well, anyone really) is just barbaric. Oh well... what can you do... :cry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtnek Posted September 6, 2003 Share Posted September 6, 2003 While I understand the frustration that farmers and livestock owners have with dogs wandering onto their property, this particular incident was uncalled for. The livestock owner was DEFINITELY in the wrong. This dog was a puppy, was it not? Not a lot of damage he could do, and the cattle must have seen VERY interesting to him. Big, docile, not pack-like, WHAT ARE THESE THINGS??? My guess is he was only checking them out. PLUS the children were there, trying to recapture the escaped dog, it wasnt like the owner just let it run loose all the time. He has an attitude tha needs adjusting. I think they should take him to court.... There may be training issues with the puppy, he obviously needs better recall training, but there was no reason to shoot him. ESPECIALLY with the kids there, trying to recapture him, they did NOT need to see that. Farmers who raise livestock are more than aware of a baby vs. and adult. Seeing that this was a puppy, he should have let the kids catch him, and I personally would have helped them catch him.... Would he also shoot a kid who wandered onto his property because he/she wanted to "see the cows up close"? same scenario... :evil: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aroura Posted September 7, 2003 Share Posted September 7, 2003 After BK posted this story I saw it on the news that night just when I was going to bed, I fell asleep crying (that combined with the pain of realising that some body had stepped on the tree i'd burried Mojo under, I was in a pretty fragile mood...). It was so saddenning to see those little kids - THE DOG WAS ON ITS WAY BACK TO THE KIDS WHEN THE FARMER SHOT IT!!!! How is that defending his property? What are the kids going to think about all of this? Not just the matter of seeing their dog die, but all of the other stuff that goes with it. If this man gets away with it, how will this effect the kids moral values? It is just so wrong, they showed a picture of where the kids were standing (still in their yard) and where the dog was, just on the other side of the fence. The kids ran inside as they thought they were going to be shot next :cry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bk_blue Posted September 7, 2003 Author Share Posted September 7, 2003 Update: on the news tonight, a couple from Melbourne (where I live) drove all the way up to the country to donate a purebred Boxer puppy (12 weeks) to the children who just lost theirs. Her name is Kaluha and she is SO cute. And best of all, a working bee has been organised for tomorrow to fix the back fence where Luke escaped from in the first place. A bittersweet ending- it's just sad that it took a dog to die for them to get the fence fixed. :cry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellieangel Posted September 7, 2003 Share Posted September 7, 2003 Thanks for the update Bk it's good to know there are good people out there :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aroura Posted September 8, 2003 Share Posted September 8, 2003 Oh what a nice thing for some one to do! If only there were more people like that in this world, and people like the farmer who shot the dog didn't exist :cry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aroura Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 Trauma my arse!!! How can it be so traumatic for him when it was his own decision and it didn't have to be done? I don't believe a word he said, just some red neck trying to make himself look good, well I ain't gonna be fooled!!! Pfft, what a looser. :evil: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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