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What do you think of this?

Posted : 6/3/2006 1:42:13 AM

I'll attach the link here, but if it doesn't work, it's [linkhttp://www.idahostatesman.com]www.idahostatesman.com[/link]

Shooting of Boise dog creates national outrage

Heath Druzin
Idaho Statesman
The Idaho Statesman | Edition Date: 06-02-2006

The shooting of a dog in Southeast Boise is generating outrage from animal-rights advocates, but the man who shot the dog said he was justified. City officials are still investigating and have not decided whether the man will face charges.

Police say conflicting witness statements have muddied what actually happened, but what is known is that at about 10:30 a.m. May 20 on Woods End Court in Southeast Boise, Thomas "Bruce" Murphey shot a dog that he said attacked his springer spaniel. The shot shattered the dog's spine. The animal was later euthanized, and a lawyer for the dog's owner said she is considering suing Murphey.

The facts of the case are disputed, but firing a gun within city limits is not automatically illegal, Boise police spokeswoman Lynn Hightower said. Murphey had a permit to carry a concealed handgun, according to police reports.
"Generally speaking, the law does allow some justifications for firing a weapon in the city," she said.

Since the shooting, the Idaho Humane Society and the Idaho Statesman have been getting e-mails from around the nation decrying the shooting and possible danger to the public posed by firing a gun at a dog within city limits.
One e-mailer said if Murphey is not punished for the shooting, it would send the message, "Hey, it's OK to kill dogs, the police will do nothing."

City codes, which were drafted in 1952 and are being revised, prohibit firing a gun in city limits except for protection of person or property, Assistant City Attorney Alison Tate said. Murphey has not been charged in the case and may not be, since pets are considered property that can be legally defended.

"You certainly proceed at your own peril when you discharge a firearm to protect property," she said.
The section of code that contains the firearms discharge rules has not yet been re-written, Tate said.

Murphey said he was walking his 40-pound springer spaniel, Fergie, when a border collie - shar pei mix ran up to Fergie and attacked her. Murphey said he pulled the attacking dog away, but the black dog, named Bailey, came back and pinned down Fergie. That's when Murphey said he pulled out a handgun and shot the attacking dog at point blank range.
"That dog was hell-bent to kill my dog," he said.

Murphey said he tore ligaments around two vertebrae and may have ruptured a disk in his back during the incident. Fergie was not badly hurt in the attack, he said.

Bailey's owner, Sarah Minnis, said in a written statement to police that Bailey ran up to Fergie and did the "sniff-bark-tail-wagging-dance" but did not attack. Minnis said Murphey shot Bailey while Minnis was leading her dog away from Fergie. Murphey said his dog was on a leash at the time. Minnis said her dog was on a leash, but she had dropped it when the incident took place.
"We had just stepped off the public sidewalk headed for home when (Murphey) shot Bailey and when he knew I had complete control of my dog," Minnis wrote to police.

Jeff Rosenthal, executive director of the Idaho Humane Society, said he was disturbed by the shooting but didn't have enough information to make further comment.
"The only thing I would say is in my experience working with the Boise Police Department, they are very concerned with animal welfare," he said.

sillysally

Posted : 6/3/2006 3:27:00 AM

Good grief! I hope this guy doesn't visit dog parks. I am actually generally against gun control, but I do think that this was a case where the weapon did not need to be used. For one, he was in an urban area--what if an innocent person happened to be strolling by and was shot? I also think that this sends a bad message if he is allowed to get away with this--I get just as frustrated as the next person with loose dogs, but deadly force should be an absolute LAST LAST resort. The guy carries a gun but no pepper spray?

So if he gets away with this, what happens when a guy becomes tired of his neighbor's dog coming on his yard, or is frightened by a dog that comes out barking but does not atack? Should citizens just start shooting dogs that are bothering them?

Granted, if Sally were in danger, I would do whatever I had to to protect her, but I would never even consider deadly force unless it became clear that there were really, truly no other option.

Rosemary my secret

Posted : 6/3/2006 4:45:14 AM

Oh my! This is really horrible! I mean what if a little kid attacked another kid, would we shoot them? I guess people think that just because they are animals, that makes them subject to whatever treatment we want to give them.........including shooting! This is a horrible, horrible story. I totally agree with SillySally in everything she said. I find this guy's behavior totally irresponsible!

nfowler

Posted : 6/3/2006 7:39:57 AM

You know, now that a few people have read it, I know the woman (though only as an acquaintance) and her dog and she's a really earnest and honest person. I'm not sure what the deal was with the "off-leash" moment, but I'm relieved he didn't shoot her. Seriously. He had to have been on top of Bailey to have shot him through the spine and to have NOT missed.

It scares me, too, that people are taking walks with guns! Yeah, why not pepper spray? That's what I have, and I know that studies show it will ward off a momma grizzly, so why not use that in an aggressive dog situation?

I'm not sure who to believe here--of course I'd say Sarah, because I know her, but really, these things often happen SO fast and the blood gets pumping fast and everyone moves fast--but still, a gun? I'm naive, I suppose, because I never really imagine people taking walks with guns. Goodness.

Rosemary my secret

Posted : 6/3/2006 7:48:30 AM

I hope you all don't take this as bragging or anything, but I just wanted to share that when I take my dogs out on walks in the evenings, I always carry pepper spray. I can't even imagine carrying a gun! Gosh! People!

nfowler

Posted : 6/11/2006 7:55:32 AM

Well, no charges will be filed in this situation. Maybe it was the differences in his version of the situation and her version of the situation. Maybe it's because in Idaho it's OK to shoot and kill in order to protect property.

We're working pretty quickly to put together an off-leash park, but this whole concealed-weapons thing will really give a whole to meaning to breaking up a dog fight there.

fuzzy_dogs_mom

Posted : 6/11/2006 5:14:44 PM

I can certainly understand the need to protect your dog, but carrying a loaded gun on a walk, especially in an urban area, seems a bit over the top. I really think pepper spray would have done the trick nicely. This guy sounds like a menace to the neighborhood.[:@]

Joyce

Dario Medina

Posted : 6/14/2006 12:17:18 AM

My gosh! That's freaking horrible! It should have never came to that, hell, pepper spraying the poor dog would have been better, but if what the lady says is true about having had her dog under control when the man shot her dog...

jones

Posted : 6/14/2006 7:18:47 AM

Wow, that's pretty awful all around. I think as dog owners we have all seen someone mistake a playful dog for "attacking," and at the same time we have all seen a dog owner call their aggressive dog "just friendly." In the same vein, if I thought my dog was being fought to the death I would totally panic... and yet, I would never be walking my dog with a gun on my person in the first place.

ewin0210

Posted : 6/14/2006 9:31:23 AM

I'm not sure what to think. I do not know either of these people and I do not know their dogs or the situation. Everyone seems a bit confused. I just wanted to say how ridiculous it is that there's a window washer in massachusetts who has been in jail for 3 days because he got attacked by a seagull and he killed it in self defense. Now that is stupid!

Cristy F

Posted : 6/14/2006 3:41:10 PM

Ewin, if you read the article about the seagull incident [linkhttp://www.pet-abuse.com/cases/8905/]here,[/link] there are many different stories to what happened. It sounds like a screwed up situation all around.