Posted on 09/28/2005 10:38:38 AM PDT by kiriath_jearim
No charges filed in dog shooting
By MELANIE D. HAYES
A dog shot in the face on Thursday is on his way to recovery at home — with the bullet still lodged in his throat. The man who shot him isn’t facing any charges, as he told police he acted in self-defense.
On Thursday morning, Rudy, an almost 2-year-old chocolate Labrador mix, was shot in front of his house by a neighbor walking by, said Detective Terry Sollars, Anderson Police Department’s public information officer.
“He (the passer-by) claims that the large brown dog was approaching him in a very threatening manner,” Sollars said. “He said he was barking very loudly. He, the man, was backing away from it. The dog was not going away and kept coming toward him.
“He pulled out his handgun that he carries — and has a permit to carry — and fired one shot at the dog,” Sollars said. “He said how frightened he was, with the dog growling and snarling, and thought he had no option.”
Rudy’s owner, Bob Wheadon, saw it all happen and watched as his dog ran away after being shot. For days he and his wife Cheryl searched for Rudy, and on Saturday were reunited with him after neighbors called them and told them where they had seen him.
“We were just bombarded with phone calls and they took us right to where he was,” Bob Wheadon said. “He wouldn’t go to anybody but me. He charged me, knocked me to ground, and licked my glasses off,” he said chuckling. “It was quite a reunion. He was scared, hurt and in a lot of pain.”
The bullet went into Rudy’s head behind his right eye, into his forehead, through the roof of his mouth and tongue and is lodged in a patch of loose skin in his throat, Wheadon said.
“He (the vet) doesn’t think he can see, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be able to,” he said. “He may lose sight in his right eye, but other than that he’s a healthy dog who will be with us for a long time.”
Wheadon admits the dog slipped out of their property and wasn’t on a leash but said the shooting was too drastic of an action.
After Rudy got out on the street, “my wife said you better get your dog before he gets himself in trouble,” Wheadon said. “He barks at anyone who walks by our property, like other dogs do. But he has never tried to bite or nip at anyone — adults or children.”
Wheadon saw when his dog was barking at the walking man, and then saw the man point a gun at the dog’s head and pull the trigger.
The Wheadons have written up and handed out flyers to their neighbors and placed them on their doors.
“We have a neighbor who walks the streets with a loaded concealed gun and permit,” the flyer, which identifies the man, said. “On Thursday, Sept. 22, this man walked up to one of our neighbor’s dogs and shot it point blank in the head. This happened at 7 a.m. when children are catching school busses. Does this concern anyone other than me?”
Sollars said that since the man had a gun permit and had felt that the loose dog was dangerous, police aren’t pursuing any charges.
“Humans don’t have to stand there to wait to have a dog attack,” Sollars said. “He did not want to hurt the dog, but wasn’t going to get bitten by the dog either. He has a right to defend himself against an animal he deems threatening.”
If you love your dog, don't let them roam and confront people by themselves on the street.
While the shoot seems over the top to those of us who get along well with dogs, some people don't, either out of fear or something the dogs sense (which makes me tend to distrust the people the dogs distrust).
But with all the hype in the press about dog attacks, it is easy enough to see how someone who does not like (or simply is ignorant of) dogs could be scared enough to shoot.
Both lived through it, it could have been worse.
And before the flames come on, it it were a "pit bull" instead of a lab, some folks around here would be applauding the shooter for taking action.
Initial random thoughts:
1. A Labrador Retriever is "an animal that does not know the meaning of 'fear'... or 'keep off the couch, you Knothead!'"
2. A Labrador Retriever is "an animal that will show the robber where your silver is hidden, and who thinks that a young child with an ice cream cone is a 'Gift from God'."
3. The shooter must be carrying the kind of weapon carried by my old Aunt Patty.... something on the order of a .22 caliber.
The term "Vicious Lab" is an oxymoron.
The man was at risk from dog slobber, licking and possibly being repeatedly bludgeoned by a wagging tail.
once again an irresponsible pet owner attempting to blame others for his mistake. Keep control of your animal! It's a simple as that. I personally am glad there is a law abiding citizen walking around with a concealed weapon to exterminate errant beasts and thugs. This uncontrolable beast was more of a threat to the general public than the man with the gun.
Do they make any of those clip thingamajigs so you can attach your pepper spray under the barrel of your CCW piece?
Just kidding.
From a legal defense standpoint, it's actually not a bad idea for CCW situations outside the home. Inside, I'm not so sure...
My dogs got into a nasty fight with each other a few weeks ago. I tried pepper spray and it didn't even slow them down.
I had to hit one with a broom handle several times before he even realized he was hit. That dog adrenline keeps them going.
And yes, I am working with them, training wise. They are just two big males from the same litter, and each wants to be top dog.
Owners LIED about who the note was from, or at least about whether it was THEIR dog that was shot, on their flyers.
Does this concern anyone other than me?
Labs can be very aggresive around their property. I have owned several and have seen them go from lovable to killer in a very short moment when they believe there is a threat. The idiot owner should make sure his animal is secure but sometimes gates get left open etc...
one thing you learn early when you are training to use a gun is never ever ever ever fire a warning shot!!!!! Please you obviously don't know a thing about handling a gun. This man was obviously a good shooter because he put one round right where it needed to go to stop the agressive animal. You don't want to fire any more rounds than necessary for the simple reason that one could ricochet and hit someone else (maybe your child) The blame goes squarely on the pet owner who obviously never trained his stupid dog to ignore people that belong on the street. I have seen too many pet owners who think it's funny and cool that there dogs try to protect there property and person against any human being they encounter. A dog should be trained to know the difference between a burglar crawling thropugh the window and a jogger or postman walking by the house on a busy street. He's lucky that his dog didn't bite a child in the face outside his house ( which from the sound of his behavior might be a possibility ). From my experience around Labs and any mixture with Labs they tend to be stupid animals who require alot of training to get them to behave properly.
I agree. I've owned 13 of them at one point or another. The first time I saw aggression in one of them... was with a couple of guys delivering our furniture. "Hershey" (Black lab) had cornered the deliverymen....growling, hackles raised and baring teeth. He never acted like that around ANYONE before or after. You just never know what sets them off. Pepper spraying an angry, "fixated" and ready-to-fight dog.... is asking for it....IMHO (Just ask my UPS guy! lol)
From reading the article. It's an opinion I derived from reading the short-on-details story.
Were you there when the police interviewed the man?
No. Neither were you there when the dog "attacked" the man.
Sorry but the 'short on details' story does not support your opinion. The dog owners admitted the dog was aggressive and loose, out of the yard. The cops not charging him, support the fact that this was a good shooting. As I noted in another post, the fact he only shot once showed discipline and that he was not trying to empty his gun into the dog.
I'm sensitive to this issue, because I carry a gun daily, and pray I'll never have to use it. But I meet a lot of people who think that if you have a CCW you are some kind of combo of Rambo and the Bronson character in "Death Wish".
"Anyone who shoots my dog is really going to have to defend himself. I'll make my business to see that he has to defend himself, from me!"
As long as your dog is under your control then you won't have to worry about it.
so such thing = no such thing
"Rudy, an almost 2-year-old chocolate Labrador mix"
The dog was not a pure lab.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.