Dog fatally shot
Fairbanks, AK (US)Incident Date: Sunday, Apr 30, 2006
County: Fairbanks North Star
Disposition: Not Charged
Abuser names unreleased
The district attorney's office is considering charges against a Goldstream Valley man who allegedly shot and killed a neighbor's Siberian husky in May.
Alaska State Troopers conducted an investigation after receiving a report of the shooting near the Willow Run neighborhood off Goldstream Road.
Trooper Gary Telep said he could not release any details of the investigation because the case is pending, but did confirm they are investigating a complaint of animal cruelty where a dog was shot on private property but not in defense of life or private property.
He said the district attorney's office is determining if the incident conforms to the state statue of cruelty to animals of "knowingly inflicting severe and prolonged physical pain or suffering on an animal." Violation of the law is considered a misdemeanor.
The situation is complicated, Telep said, because there is also a borough ordinance that states pets must be on a leash or under voice command at all times. The dog owner was likely in violation of this ordinance since the dog had gotten away from its owner before being shot by the neighbor.
"But what some ... people have decided that if an animal wanders onto their property that they have a right to shoot the animal just because it's on their property," Telep said. "And that's a stretch."
Neither the dog's owner nor alleged shooter could be reached for comment.
Telep said the incident highlights a ongoing battle between dog owners and the owners of property the pets sometimes wander onto. He said the troopers receive about three reports a year of dogs being shot after getting away from their owners and onto private property.
Word of the incident has circulated on the Alaska Recreational Dog Mushers e-mail message board.
Telep said both sides can be passionate about their views on the subject. Dogs are popular in Fairbanks for sport and as pets. But some people, Telep said, also have strong feelings against dogs, having had bad experiences or having been attacked before. Encounters with loose dogs can be stressful for some people, Telep said.
"Nobody has the right to be fearful on their own property with a vicious animal," Telep said.
On the other hand, Telep said, pet owners knows that even if their dog is normally well-behaved and under control, it can occasionally get loose and naturally will want to go exploring.
"Just because this animal is a dog for a day, it doesn't deserve a death warrant because it wandered into somebody's yard," Telep said.
The trooper also worries that people in residential neighborhoods who shoot a gun to scare animals away from their property or shoot to kill the animal, risk injuring or killing a person.
"I'm not expecting you to call 911 first with a pit bull hanging on your arm," Telep said. "On the other hand, you see a dog on your lawn, how about you call animal control first?"
Telep said anyone with problems or complaints with animals on their property should call the borough animal control and local law enforcement.
"We have resources," he said. "That's the way to do it." References |
