Cyclist Shoots Dog on Thanksgiving Day

UPI ^ | Nov. 26, 2011

[nickcarraway]

A gun-toting man on a bicycle in South Florida shot and killed a Doberman Saturday, saying the dog was threatening him.

Dan Abou, who was training the 2-year-old to be a therapy dog, acknowledged Scooby was in his unfenced front yard without a leash, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported. But he described Scooby as a gentle animal and said many dogs are allowed out without restraints in his neighborhood in Davie with no problems.

"It's very alarming that someone would be riding a bike with a gun at 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day," Abou said Friday. "That man came here looking for trouble. I still can't believe this."

Police were investigating the shooting. Investigators say the cyclist had a permit for his gun.

The Doberman Rescue League of Broward took Scooby in after the emaciated dog was found on the street. Abou adopted him in July and planned to use him as a therapy dog at senior citizens centers.

[cripplecreek]

"It's very alarming that someone would be riding a bike with a gun at 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day," Abou said Friday. "That man came here looking for trouble. I still can't believe this."

As opposed to say, New years or Veterans day?

[mvpel]

I was chased by a barking dog on my bike when I was about 10, and I still remember it - and that was only a terrier. The dog’s owner shouldn’t be so blithe about an unsupervised, unleashed DOBERMAN chasing people.

[GreaterSwiss]

i don’t have issue with the gun but how it was used.. why not cary a can of mace too? animals get excited when u bike or rollerblade. mine does. if he got lose i wouldn’t want him shot.

[vetvetdoug]

The man that allowed the dog to run loose and unattended should be charged with negligence and endangering the life of others. I get tired of irresponsible hand wringing bed wetters getting their panties in a wad and blaming everyone else when they are the ones at fault.

[RetiredArmy]

Actually no. My wife and I ride between 6,500 to 7,500 miles per year. We ride on a lot of back country roads. It is not uncommon for us to have dogs chase us. We have had Rocks, Pits, etc. chase us. I have a dog spray to repel them and sometimes it does not work. Also in the back areas, in the country, there are wild dogs that run loose back there. They take down deer all the time. THUS, WHEN WE RIDE OUT IN THOSE COUNTRY AREAS, I CARRY MY PISTOL IN MY BACK JERSEY POCKET!!! So, it is not UNCOMMON for cyclists to protect themselves from dogs.

[EricT.]

The dumbass leaves a Doberman loose to roam the streets and gets upset when the a guy on a bike shoots it after it chases him?

I've been chased by loose dogs before. I sympathize with the cyclist.

[Track9]

It sounds like a sensible alternative to a whole bunch of stitches and new pair of pants.

[Sea Parrot]

A dog can be friendly, but when on the loose and see what they perceive someone to be fleeing, they can and do attack. When a kid I was pulled off bicycle and mauled by a neighbor's hound, my dad immediately went and killed it with a shotgun in their front yard.

[nickcarraway]

Ping

[chris37]

The dog owner who let his dog run off leash killed the dog, that is all.

[9YearLurker]

The guy was going to take his doberman in as a therapy dog at senior citizen centers?

[Cicero]

Many dogs have a thing about spinning wheels, which is why they go after bicycles. This is kind of a “he says, she says” sort of story, but I suspect that the dog went after the bicycle. Whether the guy had to shoot it to defend himself, I don’t know.

[ALPAPilot]

The man that allowed the dog to run loose and unattended should be charged with negligence and endangering the life of others.

Absolutely! I was in rural Indiana training for a triathlon. I was doing about 25 mph when I saw the dog running out of someones front yard. He ended up under my front wheel, I ended up flying through the air. The impact broke my helmet in three places. The cops gave the owner a lecture.

[Joe 6-pack]

WOOOF!

The Doggie Ping list is for FReepers who would like to be notified of threads relating to all things canid. If you would like to join the Doggie Ping Pack (or be unleashed from it), FReemail me.

[ALPAPilot]

if he got lose i wouldn’t want him shot

Then don't let him loose.

[Poison Pill]

The man that allowed the dog to run loose and unattended should be charged with negligence and endangering the life of others.

If he was in his owners' front yard, as reported, he wasn't running loose.

[SkyDancer]

He should have had either pepper spray or ammonia in a spray bottle. That’s what I always carried to ward off aggressive dogs.

[SkyDancer]

Off-duty cop?

[Ditter]

You don't just “take your dog into a convalescent center” at least not in Texas. They must go through tests and training and then more tests. I had one of my terriers certified as a Therapy Dog this past summer. There are all breeds of dogs doing this, Dobermans, Boxers, Rotties, German Shepherds. It depends on the individual dogs temperment and behavior toward strangers and toward other dogs.