Dogs shot, 3 die
Hartsville, SC (US)

Incident Date: Saturday, Jan 1, 2011
County: Darlington

Disposition: Open

Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!

Chip Sams and his family are adjusting to life without two companions -- two family dogs who died after being shot in as many weeks. Another is recovering from a gunshot wound in its hindquarter.

Smut, one of the family dogs, was shot about three weeks ago and died. Two other family dogs were shot a few days later.

According a Darlington County Sheriff's Office incident report, one other dog, which doesn't belong to the Sams family, was shot on the family's street during the past month, and Sams said losing so many dogs in so little time has taken a toll on the community.

"A dog is obvious protection to a stranger who wants to come up to what you own, so everybody's kind of losing that," Sams said. "It's putting a lot of stress on people. You have to worry about it. You can't leave them outside all the time. There's a lot more to do than feeding your dog outside and leaving it water."

The Darlington County Code of Ordinances states that pets or animals that are cared for by an owner can't run at large and that a notice of violation can be issued to the owner.

Officers also have the right to take custody of the pet or animal, but no pain or suffering should be inflicted upon the pet or animal by an officer or anyone else.

According to the incident report, Sams family dogs were shot on their property and not in locations where they would have been a threat to anyone.

Sams said he doesn't understand what could prompt someone to shoot dogs.

"I believe it's somebody doing it. I don't believe it's somebody hunting, because deer season is over. I believe somebody's just doing it do to do it," Sams said.

Greg Vaught, an assistant manager at the Darlington County Humane Society animal shelter, said living in a rural area could bring with it a different mentality when it comes to shooting dogs, even though the same laws apply inside and outside city limits.

"A lot of people have the misconception that if an animal's on their property, they have the right to shoot it. It seems to happen more outside of town than in town," he said.

Vaught said if a dog looks like it has been well fed, it probably just lost his way and isn't a stray.

"Some people in the country have the idea that every dog that's loose is a stray dog, it doesn't belong to anyone, and if it shows up on their property they can shoot it if they want to," he said.

Vaught said if an animal is on your property and you don't want it there, calling animal control -- not grabbing a gun -- should be the first line of defense.

The humane society said it rarely hears of animals accidentally getting shot, especially so many at once, as in the Samses' case.

"It's probably something they're determined to do. I mean, lets face it, if you point a firearm at something and pull the trigger, you usually mean to," Vaught said.

Animal cruelty charges typically begin as a misdemeanor offense and can carry with it monetary penalties to jail time, depending on the severity.

Sams said he's disappointed that law enforcement officers could only do so much.

"That doesn't bring our dogs back. There's nothing in return, but you can't ask for that," he said.

The county code also states that owners are supposed to have their animals under control at all times; they can't trespass on other's property without supervision.

"If your animal's roaming free, you're leaving it open to having these sorts of things happening. It might not be right, but now you have two wrongs, not one," Vaught said.

The sheriff's office continues to investigate.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's office at (843) 398-4501 or the state Crime Stoppers hotline at (888) CRIME SC (274-6372).

Callers need not reveal their identities.

If you have information on this case, please contact:
Crime Stoppers hotline
(888) CRIME SC (274-6372)

References

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