Kenny Woodburn (courtesy dailymail.co.uk)

It’s possible that the dog called “Tank” charged Kenny Woodburn [above], who shot the canine in self-defense. It does not, however, seem likely. “A Maryland man shot dead his neighbor’s dog after it wandered on to his property, and then posted a picture of its body on Facebook,” dailymail.co.uk reports. “Before killing the one-year-old dog Kenny Woodburn had posted a warning on social media saying if it strayed in his yard again it would die.” Specifically, “Hey going to dye today.” The spelling mistakes don’t help Mr. Woodburn’s case. Nor, of course, does the Facebook posting. But what makes him a poster child for firearms irresponsibility is the fact that . . . [Note: picture of Mr. Woodburn posing with the dog he killed after the jump]

Kenny Woodburn poses next to the dog he killed (courtesy dailymail.co.uk)

He could have dealt with a dangerous dog in any number of ways short of shooting it.

To review: you can only use deadly force on another person when you or other innocent life are in imminent danger of death or grievous bodily harm. The threat must be credible and imminently imminent (i.e., in the process of occurring). The same standard applies to family pets. Obviously. Which is why Mr. Woodburn posted that “The f***** came after me … so I put him down.”

The police, prosecution judge and/or jury will have to establish the validity of that expletive deleted claim. But the prior warning indicates that Mr. Woodburn could have called the owner before or during the incident, dialed animal control, used pepper spray on the pet or tried to make friends with his supposed four-legged nemesis.

For that failure of foresight and planning that led to the I’m-thinking-enitrely-unnecessary death of a beloved dog, Mr. Woodburn get the IGOTD nod. While owner Richele Ince gets a rebuke for letting her dog wander freely and our deepest condolences for the loss of a family friend.

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243 COMMENTS

  1. Oh yeah, because pit bulls are so friendly and a perfect choice of breed to let run wild and be around kids.

    The PETA fruits are already screaming for this guy to be executed, to make the point that killing is wrong.

      • Here is what we know for certain: If this was a cop seeing this pit bull unleashed anywhere, he/she almost certainly would have shot it.

        • Or the current standard for law enforcement: Pretty much any breed of dog on private property behind a fence or on a leash may be considered an imminent threat and summarily executed… even if it is the wrong address or in the vicinity of the address of the call.

        • Wow, didnt get to watch the vid un edited until now.

          EDIT: cant see the knives at all in 720 tbh until they really close in.

        • So, Rydak, the 21 ft rule applies when he’s running away, thus the bullet wounds in his back?

        • RonGR…it applies at all times, And he was NOT running away. Cops point guns at you and say “Your under arrest, well take you to a hospital if that’s what you want”…for hours…and he pulls not one but two knives. The officers who were close to him saw this…the camera didn’t, thats why they shot. Not until they get up on him after the shooting can you see a knife clenched in each hand. I dont see a single wound to his back.

        • That was really disturbing. Everything that I saw in that video says the police murdered that man. Has this gone to a grand jury yet?

        • Rydak, at 16 sec in you clearly hear the man say that he’s gonna walk, we are going to stick to our agreement, the officer responds “alright, alright”, where’s the part where the officers tell him he is under arrest and can go to a hospital, in another video? I did not see or hear this part at all, please refer me to your source as it does change the situation.

          I still strongly believe these Seal team 6 Tactical Wannabe’s (seriously, you gear up like that to go to homeless encampments?) wanted a kill, nothing like shooting down a homeless mental man to get credibility. What’s this s#*t about the militarization of our PD again? Though, I’m sure certain members of the PD has been eliminating vagrants under the radar for many years, whether on teh mob payroll or Deathrow Records payroll, psychos exist in all parts of our society, it’s just unfortunate when they are the people who are supposed to “Protect & Serve”… oh wait…

      • Delbert, maybe you missed the part where the guy “only illegally camping in the foothills of New Mexico” had knives in both hands when they shot him?

        • The guy openly states in the video he doesn’t want an altercation, though he does state that if they didn’t have badges he would have a right to defend himself as a free American as the PD are posing the threat, seems to think he’s reached a verbal agreement to carry on though, picks up his gear, and proceeds to go his own route. But that ain’t good enough, he may be a threat to the rocks and cacti, hell, he’s probably mentally ill too, so APD did the right thing by executing him, huh? Nice.

          So now in America you get executed by Seal Team 6 wannabe’s for illegal camping. Honestly, that’s how those APD guys go out after illegal campers, tacticooled the hell out… gee, I wonder if they were feeling just a little bit trigger happy. Yeah, the guy had knives, hell, his “house” was right there.

        • They had non lethal options, plenty of manpower. Notice they didnt beanbag him until after he was bleeding out on the ground. Maybe they even peed on him when the camera was off? And your type cries over a dog LOL

      • You can always count on it, like sunrise and sunset. “Blubberblabber, GOOD SHOOT!”

    • Pit bulls should be banned. No dog needs to have that many assault features. A dog weight limit of 10lbs will ensure the safety of communities across the country. Dog nuts who raise pit bulls are killing our children.

      End of sarcasm.

      • LULz, I’m glad you put that last line in, because you know someone’s going to knee jerk otherwise.

    • Actually, Pitbulls are very friendly and terribly loyal – they are fantastic with kids. But they have a very good strength to weight ratio – and like anything with potential to hurt (ie, a car, a tall ladder, sharp objects) it needs to be treated with respect. A dog, any dog, is still an animal that when pressed or mistreated, can hurt or kill. I would trust my pitbull around anyone’s kids and not worry (as long at the dog isn’t being mistreated) – it’s the ignorant, scared people hurting my dog I’d be worried about.

      • I consider people who let pit bulls around children child abusers. Not that I care about their children, its Darwinism at its finest.

        • Please allow me to post photos of my last four pit bull type dogs in various poses and types of repose with my children.

          Those dogs are dogs. Nothing more nothing less.

          Call me a child abuser. I’ll give you my phone number and let’s have a live, synchronous conversation about it.

          • The Brits used to call Pit Bulls “nanny dogs” since they were so good with children. Probably still do.

        • Paul G: I love the sentiment I really do.

          But truly, they are just dogs like any other dog.

          No more, no less.

        • There is a lot I could say, but I will summarize thusly: that is not a fact, science or evidence based opinion.

          You are kind of like the heir to people 300 years ago who wanted to make the world safe from witches.

        • Such insightful comments, tell us more about how isolated cases prove that all of a certain type are dangerous. I’m sure you’ll say that all black people shouldn’t be allowed near children, since black gangbangers kill so many other “children”.

          The ignorance practically drips from your comments.

        • Delbert, your lack of cognition is both world-encompassing and stupefying.

          We rescued a pit bull a few years ago. Or as the AKA likes to call them, an American Staffordshire Terrier.

          My pit bull is routinely jumped on and tussled with by 13 grandchildren. She sighs and walks away when she’s had enough. That’s more than some people I know would do.

          And the canine corpse in the picture looks to me like a beagle, not a pit bull.

        • Jus Bill: Love the story and it’s awesome. Just keep in mind: without papers, ancestry information or breeding history what you have is what I like to call a super cool mutt with a medium build, stocky body, short coat, blocky head who loves kids. 🙂

          I love ’em, too, I have two: both rescues, both mutts.

        • My pits mix is best dog I’ve ever had, without contest.

          Smart, loveable, great with the kids, great with other dogs, and doesn’t have a mean bone in his body.

          He’s scared of my daughter’s cat, he cowers when it hisses at him, he’s a huge puss.

        • now replace “pit bulls” with “guns” and enjoy sounding like the average anti-gun type you’d probably rail against

          • “now replace “pit bulls” with “guns” and enjoy sounding like the average anti-gun type you’d probably rail against”

            Your analogy breaks down when you realize that vicious dogs have volition, and can spontaneously attack. Guns don’t.

        • “Your analogy breaks down when you realize that vicious dogs have volition, and can spontaneously attack. Guns don’t.”

          Rich, here’s where your logic breaks down. Both owning dogs and owning guns have one big thing in common: OWNER RESPONSIBILITY.

          If a dog owner is responsible a dog does not get out of the owner’s control (like a gun) and a dog will not attack a person without provocation (like a gun in my hand.)

          Dog ownership and gun ownership are exactly the same thing. Saying that a dog can snap and attack a person any time is exactly like saying a gun owner can snap and shoot a person any time.

          No dog is INHERENTLY vicious. Period. All science supports this fact and it can be backed up by the millions of dogs of this type across the country that don’t attack people every day. These types of dogs are one of the top 5 most popularly owned dogs and have been for over 100 years. Surely dog attacks would be legion if these dogs were inherently vicious and they’re not – dog attacks are very, very rare.

          • “Saying that a dog can snap and attack a person any time is exactly like saying a gun owner can snap and shoot a person any time. ”

            No it’s not.

            A dog is a living thing. A gun is a machine. A dog can go feral. A gun can’t. A dog doesn’t need a person or a drawstring to pull its trigger.

            And I have, at least once, been attacked by a loose dog without any provocation, other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

            I admit, the chance of it happening are astronomically small, but it’s not zero.

            • No, Rich… dogs do NOT “go feral” as long as they are under the influence of human beings. There are outliers on occasion, but by and large, they only go feral if they are abandoned and left to their own devices.

              And even then, the vast majority of abandoned dogs will not go feral.

        • Rich: you miss the point. A loose dog is still not a DOG problem its a dog OWNER problem.

          The fact that it’s anti-social enough to bite a human it encounters while loose is an escalation of the owner problem.

          Dogs are domesticated animals. They are property to be maintained by the owner on the owner’s property. If a person is unable to control their dog on their own property they should not have dogs. Simple as that.

          • “Rich: you miss the point. A loose dog is still not a DOG problem its a dog OWNER problem. ”

            Yes, and negligent discharges are not a GUN problem, but a GUN OWNER problem.

            But if you leave a gun lying in a dark alley somewhere and abandon it, there is zero probability that when it gets hungry, it will take a sample bite out of some nice succulent infant.

            • “Succulent infant”. Wow, that was WAY over the top.

              That’s what’s coming back to bite you on the ass during your campaign.

        • Actually all throughout the 19th and 20th century, the American Pit Bull terrier were dependable part of the family. These dogs, when raised well and not damaged from too much inbreeding are very quite, tolerant pets. They are also great hunting and home defense dogs. Physically they are gifted with strength and endurance, strong will and spirit. You are obviously not a dog person, to have such an opinion of what really is an exceptional breed. It’s because of the dogs tenacious spirit that makes them desirable for those who would abuse animals in the name of ‘sport’. But it is not the dog’s fault that people are cold, heartless and ‘inhumane’ in our treatment of each other and animals. So please stop with the slander and breed bias, American Pit-Bull terriers [Pit Bulls] are some of the best dogs you can have.

    • Why to go! First comment out of the box shows the ignorance full force …

      Yes, pit bull dogs maligned and heavily politicized just like assault weapons. No difference.

      • I value property rights more than a dog. And, umm, dogs arent mentioned in the 2nd, or any, amendments. Apples and oranges. Just saying.

        • Hey, if a threatening dog comes on my property I have no problem shooting it regardless what breed or type it may be.

          Denigrating an entire breed or type based on the fact that some individuals mismanage it is wrong.

          9th Amendment.

        • Just when we thought you’d said the stupidest possible thing, you go and prove us wrong.

        • Oh my such derision how will I ever endure? Your internet scorn has transmogrified me. No more eating BBQ pit bulls. How much more can I give up? Next you will want my moldy Hustlers, since they are harmless and friendly and kids love them!

    • They are friendly, they dont run around just killing or biting things. Dumb ass people raise dumb as kids, or dumb ass dogs. This dude just wanted to shoot a dog and was too retarded to figure out coyote hunting.

      The big problem is people that are brainwashed by an old news theme. The breeds of dog that bite most often, and have the strongest bite are NOT pitbulls or rots.

    • They are, and mine loves kids. We trained him not to react to what foolishness children do. Sounds like you’ve drank too much of the anti-pitbull koolade. PS. we don’t let him run wild, heck! he won’t even go outside when I sometimes leave the yard gate open.

      As you’re taken the flaming dive from the clouds, enjoy the scenery

  3. In other words, he decided to commit a criminal act, and posted all about it on Facebook beforehand, thus assuring he can’t say it was a spontaneous and righteous act.

    Nice going, douchebag. You don’t belong among your fellow citizens; you need to be put behind bars. And the “good shoot!” twits don’t have as much as a leg to stand on.

    • You were there? Unless you witnessed it you dont know if he was threatened or not. Therefore all the knee jerk reactions that he is a “criminal” are pure speculation, ignoring the fact pit bulls in all their variations can go from docile to hostile at the drop of a hat, even with their owners. Google “pit bull attacks.”

      Control your animals, especially known killer breeds, or they might get shot. Cops dont hesitate why should a homeowner?

        • Legally speaking, pit bulls are mentioned under Breed Specific Legislation as dangerous, much like “assault rifles” are carved out for anti gun legislation as specifically “more dangerous.” The obvious difference being an assault rifle cannot run onto your property and go off maiming you or your family. The assault rifle has to be used by a person, whereas free roaming pit bulls regularly maim and kill people, other pets, and livestock. I stand for property owners rights to neutralize any invading man beast or otherworldly entity, including aggressive pit bulls. That is where we differ, you wish for certain exemptions to my right not to be harassed by you or your animals. You expect a homeowner to respect your private property as you allow it to invade his private property. Please refrain from the overreaching argument “you cant shoot every dog or cat that enters your property, they dont know what they are doing its not their fault.” Obviously its the pet owners fault, however if this guy felt threatened by a large breed animal and shot it, without other evidence to the contrary he is lying, you must respect his private property rights. Hope you can grasp the distinction and thanks for your support.

        • I always love to watch the ignorant gun owners talk spank about the dogs and then defend to the 9th degree their right to an “assault weapon”.

          If you understand that the Liberal media lies about guns, lies about assault weapons, lies about gun owners, but tells the truth regarding everything about “pit bull” type dogs — well, you’re just a special kind of stupid, aren’t you?

        • Uh, Delbert, that crap is being overturned in court.

          Are you Kenny’s roomie or something?

        • Wanna know what I think about you? You are a

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        • Go out and come back when you can stop holding your breath, kicking your feet and rolling your eyes.

          Juvenile.

      • His actions after are what prove he’s a scumbag. Nobody takes a picture smiling with their victim if it was defensive, they head to the authorities or a hospital. If I “defended” myself from a mugger with a firearm then took a grinning picture with the text “look what dun,” that throws my self defense argument out the window. This man deserves the same fate that he imparted on this animal.

      • Any beast can go from docile to feral in a short period, including those dastardly 2 legged varmints. ALL dogs behave according to how their HUMAN counterparts train them, Im sorry you have a dislike of certain breeds.

        Kind of odd cities wanting to ban a certain breed of animal, sounds kind of like someone wanting to ban a certain kind of firearm. Hmm, what a puzzler.

      • I’m gonna say this nice and slow, so as to not confuse you unduly:

        HE.
        POSTED.
        ON.
        FACEBOOK.
        THAT.
        HE.
        WAS.
        GOING.
        TO.
        SHOOT.
        THE.
        DOG.

        • Maybe the dog had been aggressive before. I’m more likely to believe he just decided to shoot the dog for fun, but the facebook post doesn’t necessarily prove it.

        • Nothing will happen. There are no teeth whatsoever in the humane laws of most states.

          Sadly.

          IMO this person should be drawn and quartered by a four horse team.

        • True, Mina, but if the fence in that picture of Kenny is the lot line fence and he lives in or bordering what’s now a subdivision, he’s going to jail for discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling. The inevitable animal cruelty charge is just so much more icing.

          • Which suggests to me the cops know it wasn’t a legit case of “puttin’ down that killer dog”.

  4. I don’t have any respect for people that shoot animals because they don’t like them. A wandering dog isn’t a threat. This guy is a db.

    • Wandering dogs are NOT a threat? Where did you grow up? Why do you think every city in America has a leash law? Why are there so many stories of people walking their dogs who are attacked, or had their pet attacked, by a wandering dog? Didn’t you see the movie “Babe” and the threat posed by wandering packs of dogs to humans and animals alike–an issue that is present in America as well? why do you think Governor Perry carries a pistol when he goes running? The fact of the matter is that wandering dogs do indeed present a threat. they will chase anything that runs, whether it is a person, another animal , a kid on a bike, a car….

      I am not saying that this guy isn’t a douche, all I am saying is that your assessment of wandering dogs fails to accord with reality. Are all dogs a problem? Certainly not–not one of my dogs who has gotten out has ever been a problem to anyone or any thing else. But that does not apply to all dogs, not by a long shot.

      • There are further articles on this. This guy had a criminal record. The 1 year old pitbull was the pet of a 4 year old girl and would regularly wander over to the daycare to play with her and the other kids. It was also shot in the back, and supposedly the guy lured it to his property with treats. This guy was familiar with the animal enough to know that it clearly was not a threat.

        • Right. So I was going to say if I had a maruading dog that was threatening me or my kids … yes this is a dog that will eventually meet its maker when it comes on property and gives me any trouble at all.

          On the other hand I live in farm country and there are always outliers who like to let their dogs roam free. I don’t agree with it, I think dogs should be under an owners control at all times but if it’s friendly, doesn’t do anything bad or threaten anyone what’s the harm? Better to have long term good relations with your neighbors IMO.

          • Kenny doesn’t seem much concerned with neighborly relations. And it’s a bit too late now.

        • Agree, that’s what makes him a douchebag.

          He knew the dog was 1. friendly and 2. a loved pet of his 4yo neighbor.

          Guys like this meet Karma eventually. Clearly he is lacking enough brain cells to comprehend what he has done. I am sure his knuckles are raw from the way he drags them when he walks.

  5. The probability of a prosecution is slim, and of a felony conviction even slimmer. If he gets charged, it will be pled down to a misdemeanor, since defendant is the only witness to the shooting. The owner can sue in small claims court for the value of the dog–the monetary value (cost to acquire) only, and not any emotional distress damages. Dogs are, in law, chattel, and you get to sue for the loss of the value of the chattel the same as you would for any other property, but no more.

    • He. Posted. On. Facebook. That. He. Was. Going. to. Shoot. the. Dog.

      You STILL think the chances of prosecution are dim?

      • Your point has already been addressed. Maybe he posted that because the dog had threatened him in the past. Maybe because he’s a douche. You don’t know. I don’t know. But the burden of proof is guilt beyond a reasonable doubt; this provides only an inference that he may have been acting maliciously. This is not the kind of case that prosecutors are going to devote time, money and energy to prosecuting. Ninety five percent of cases plead out to a lesser charge, and the system works because this is so. The odds are strongly in favor of my suggested resolution.

        • When you post publicly (and Facebook is about as public as it gets) that you are going to kill something, and you DO it the next day, then post a photo of you posing with the dead animal, that’s a HELL of a lot more than an “inference” or implication.

          Tell ya what. YOU try it and see what happens. It’s only because this is a dog that you can’t see this for what it really is: a premeditated murder, which he then BRAGGED about afterwards. TRY it. Maybe you’ll like it!

  6. Never bring a dog to a gunfight. Ol’ Kenny wouldn’t be a LEO by any chance? I mean, he just passed the test…

  8. Seriously, Kenny has a right (duty?)to protect himself and those on his property. Sounds like the dog owner did not put an end to the recurring threat when he had the chance (duty) to do so. Kenny looks like a douche but he has that right, as well. America and all that.

  9. First off, the pitbull haters really need to go screw themselves. Its an opinion based on complete ignorance and contrary to actual evidence. Every damn dog thats bitten me or tried to cause me serious harm has been a lab type, or some other member of the top 5 American favorite breeds. Yet I’ve owneed and been around pitbulls for years and I’ve never had a problem? Dogs are like people, products of their environment. The media and ignorant types build this mythical reputation behind a breed, lowlifes will flock to them thinking it helps them build a badass image and yeah, the dogs usual have behavioral problems. I’ve seen dogs of all breeds go psycho with owners like that. Its a step above racism in my opinion, its like blaming blacks or hispanics for being more criminally inclined just because of their race. It has more to do with environmental and upbringing then anything else. Then again, the hyproacy of some gun owners blows my mind, OMG! Lets ban pitbulls! They’re bad! the media says so! Yet have a conniption over the moonbats wanting to ban ‘Assault weapons’ Whats the damn difference? Anyway, enough of that.

    The guy looks like typical white trash scum. I had a run in with a guy like that last year, claimed my dog ((which it wasn’t)) had killed his chickens, was demanding money and making threats.. had a shotgun too.. Well he went home with a shiner and broken ego. Sheriffs department wouldn’t do jack about it, or the fact that he’d discharged his weapon on private property. Go figure. never came back though.

    • Dogs have also been show to be one of the few animals that feel emotion on a level similar to humans. That means if you do this to an animal, you do it to something that feels love, pain, fear, joy, and anguish. In my mind that makes this sadistic act no different than if it had been imparted on a fellow human.

    • As much as it pains me to say also, most dog bites aren’t reported because most dog bites are from small breeds like chihuahuas, terriers, etc. They just don’t get reported because its not life threatening at all. As others have said, its up to the owners to raise the dog correctly, just like they would a child.

  12. Shitty irresponsible dog owner living next to an even shittier irresponsible human, great combination for bad things to happen.

    • Yeah…I get it, the guy was a “winner” but nobody is talking about the fact that this dog was running around the neighborhood, off leash, unattended, for extended periods of time…why was this dog not leashed? The whole “dog used to wander to the daycare down the road to play with the kids”…No. Just. No. Do you know the shit storm I’d rain over a daycare letting strange, unleashed dogs play with my child?

      I don’t think bully breeds are any more scary or intimidating than any other breed, but not everyone feels that way. There is a real stigma around bully dogs and people are scared of them…as a responsible dog owner, you should take that into consideration when you let your dog out unattended. You have a responsibility to your pet to keep them safe, this dog’s owner failed to do so which makes her at fault as well.

      Should this man have shot the dog? I don’t know…I wasn’t there, nor was anyone else. Should he have posted about it on facebook? No, that’s not really in good taste…but, reading [or trying to read] his comments about it I can safely assume that he really hasn’t learned much since high school.

  14. A few years back, my dad had to shoot an aggressive dog on our property.

    The first night, two big black dogs chased him into our house. We didn’t know who they belonged to.

    The second night, they came back. And were shot with paintball guns.

    The third night, we spotted them in our pasture stalking our horses. In California, any dog threatening livestock is legal to shoot. So we shot one, and the other ran off.

    We don’t know the whole story here. If my dad had a Facebook back then, he probably would have posted about these dogs as well. Maybe not in the same vernacular though.

      • He was out on the back porch when two big black dogs came after him. What did you expect him to do, fight them with his bare hands?

    • I have been bitten – viciously by a dog. It hurts! and it makes you want to make sure it never happens again. Yes I’d run from a dog threatening to bite me! – like a bat out of hell.

      For the record the dog in question was … wait for it … a big, fat beagle! Took ahold of my lower leg and shook it like there was no tomorrow. yeeeouch.

      Anything that threatens my horses is dead. Full stop. I have real money and time/energy invested in my horses.

      • I’ve been bitten too… when I was a kid.

        That’s how I know running from one is a bad idea. I’ve NEVER backed down from one since. NEVER.

        • I was bitten only a couple of years ago. I was totally shocked.

          Middle aged to 50 yo woman … I might have stood my ground with a charging dog 10-20 years ago but now? Dang, man the pepper spray is coming out – baseball bat – whatever I have in my hand.

        • I have been bitten trying save an injured dog. I have been bitten by an angry dog. As a child and as an adult. Your learn to run to safety if you are outnumbered. I have shot wandering dogs. We have livestock and wandering dogs kill calves, pigs, chickens, etc. A dog without a collar has got a bullesye on his back. We used to have a dog breeder next to my Aunts who would turn out his Dalmatians to run at night. They got their exercise chasing our cattle around the lot. We warned my Aunts neighbor through the deputy who also informed him we had no need to warn in the first place. We had every right to shoot on sight. The breeder didn’t learn his lesson and his pack was pared down. Everyone is a bleeding heart for dogs, but they still must be kept as property. A dog off your property is a liability. What would have happened if a person hit your dog with a motorcycle and crashed paralyzing the rider? What if a person was bit in their yard when the dog was out of yours? I am not excusing the way this was conducted but I am not cart blanching shooting dogs.

        • “Everyone is a bleeding heart for dogs, but they still must be kept as property. A dog off your property is a liability.” I could not agree more whole-heartedly.

          If your dog is on my property chasing my horses – it’s dead. If your dog is on my property and harrassing my family, or cats or dogs – it’s a phone call to your home, a warning, and then the next time it’s dead.

          I would expect my neighbors to hold me to the same standard, so my dogs are under my control At All Times. Including leashes, fence, tie-outs, and a dog-proof deck fence. My dogs are not even outside if I am not also out there.

          That’s how you make sure your dog doesn’t infringe on your neighbor’s rights to his property!

        • well if you are a dog owner and you don’t know where your dog is on a regular basis, you are not a responsible dog owner. and you are potentially infringing on your neighbors with your irresponsibility.

          from there it’s probably all a matter of situation and escalation.

  17. Where I live(south of Chicago) all kinds of gangmember types( black, white & Spanish) walk around with pit bulls on a leash. Like pants on the floor, gang tattoos or a Glock stuffed in their pants, it is a statement. Whether you like or not.

    • I agree. But think about it – whose fault is it? The gang bangers or the dogs?

      Most of those dogs, taken as pups out of that life and raised with a loving family will be normal average dogs.

  18. i will say this there was no reason to brag about it on Facebook. i live in a rural community and there are a lot of hunters. Some of these ‘hunters’ use dogs to ‘hunt’ although I dont consider anyone who sits in a heated truck drinking coffee waiting for their dogs to run an exhausted animal for them to take pot shots at hunters.
    I digress. Anyone these dogs are often inbred and kept purposely in a state of malnutrition. They are kept in filthy cages and never given affection, never truly domesticated.
    No surprise after hunting season ends they are fed less and often escape. These animals are constantly in my trash and making a mess.
    I have a 2 year old and a disabled wife and one day one of these dogs was extremely aggressive to them. Going as far as to follow them up the porch growling and snarling. Needless to say the next time said dog was in my yard it didn’t leave, and to me that’s a form of preventive medicine. I dont like it, I down right hate doing it, but when these types of strays come into my yard I dont see other options besides unnecessary risk

    • And all that has WHAT to do with Tank, exactly? Remember Tank? The subject of this discussion?

  19. So, can we all agree that there was more than enough fail to go around? Yeah the guy probably didn’t have to shoot. Yeah the dog’s owner should have secured the dog. Yeah the dog could possibly have been a threat. Yeah the guy is probably an A-hole. Just seems to be a lack of civility on both ends, from the dog owner for not controlling his pet and from the guy for planning and then celebrating the killing of the dog. What a spectacular display of comprehensive retardation.

  21. Yea. The pit bull hating has to stop.

    I’ve been a part of three different situations where stray pit bulls wandered up toy house when I was in school in flint. The dogs were taken in rehabilitated and lived without problems in a fraternity house (!) Until they all were placed in a good family home.

    My cousin had a pit who lived with her and her baby for about the first 6 years of the babies life.

    My wife has a pit-boxer. We have a ten month old who pokes it pulls it, and crawls all over him (with us supervising and teaching the baby how to be gentle).

    Nome of these dogs have ever snapped. None of these dogs have ever bit anyone. None of these dogs have done anything to threaten a human with the exception of one who protected her owner during a burglary attempt.

    Gee…kinda sounds like….oh….I don’t know…..my guns!

    Gtf over your irrational fear of “assault dogs” and get educated on a breed before you make gross blanket statements.

    End rant 🙂 have a nice evening

        • Hard to say for certain. Wish we could see more of the head. But it still looks more like a PB to me. That’s a big head, though the lens may be distorting the size.

          Let’s review: the neighbors had a Pit Bull. Kenny wanted to shoot it. Kenny shot a dog, and posed for a picture (selfie, probably).

          Nope, no Beagle anywhere in the story of the shooting. Did the dead dog get away? Did Kenny have a dead Beagle in the deep freeze?

        • That doesn’t look like Bwana Kenny holding up his trophy in the second picture – too many teeth.

          • That occurred to me also, but I think it’s just a different camera angle.

            Have you ever noticed people who look a LOT different from one time you see ’em to the next, and I don’t mean cosmetic features, but that their faces seem to change quite a bit.

  23. I’ve never seen a vicious Beagle in my life. If the dog had a habit id shitting in his yard then dump the crap in front of his door. Call the cops repeatedly if its a barking pain in the butt. This guy looks like his family tree is a telephone pole. No branches or roots. Mom and dad are probably brother and sister.

    • See my note, above, which I posted before I saw yours.

      I was viciously bitten by a beagle. It was scary as hell and I still have scars – years later.

      It was so horrifying (I am a huge animal lover, so it was a total surprise) that when a dog I don’t know comes running toward me it’s like I am touching an electric fence. I don’t think I can even explain the terror …

      anyway. moral of the story: any dog can bite and do damage.

      • I stand my ground, get in their heads and convince them they’re going to lose if they tangle with me. I’ve done this dozens of times, and it’s never failed me. Yet.

        • I agree! Animal psychology 101. I think the turning point moment in this situation was my son was with me and he was only 9 at the time. The dog was going after him. So I interceded and got bitten. Been petrified ever since.

          Getting old really sucks!!

          • It was so long ago that I got bitten I don’t ever really think about it. I’ve never shown the least bit of fear to a dog since. I’m the big dog here, Pooch! Git, if you know what’s good for ya.

            It’s all a lie, but I have to believe it when I’m doing it, and I do. If I believe it, the dog’s gonna believe it.

  24. As the owner of an American bullldog (hint=super Pit Bull physically) and pit bulls:
    If you are a grown male (note that I did not say man) and you cannot handle a Pit Bull then you are not man enough to handle a gun.

    End of discussion.

  25. While taking my dog on a walk some years back (leashed), she was attacked unprovoked by a loose Pit that ran out from the side of a house. Idiot kid doing yard work in front didn’t think about closing their side gate so their dog wouldn’t get loose. He came out of nowhere, jumped some shrubs, and went right into my dog’s back. The Pit shook and shook all while I went to town on the dog’s ribs. He had enough and ran back into their backyard.

    Do you think the POS Pit owning family ever paid the $400 Vet bill for me for what their dog did?

    Nope

    They moved away.

    The breed itself is prone to attack people and animals. Sure if they are raised by the right person (not too many of them around) and they’ll be a loving dog. In the wrong hands (which is most Pit owners) they’re death waiting to happen. There’s a reason why many municipalities, gated developments, and apartments expressly BAN them.

    All that said, sounds like this guy was itching to kill this dog. Probably a small fine and maybe a cruelty to animals charge.

    • What happened to you is the direct result of poor animal handling on the dog owner’s part.

      It has nothing whatsoever to do with the dog’s breeding. Sorry.

    • Obviously you never heard of a Mechanic’s Lein. It costs about $10 to file – you can do it yourself. When the Sheriff bangs on their door to serve it and they get THAT bill too it makes an impression. Especially when they run and the sheriff has to fly to serve it.

  27. Grumpy in Kali:
    I do feel for you for what happened.
    But the breed is NOT particularly prone to attack people or animals. That just is not true. The breed is strong, and so when they do the damage can be bad. Many other breeds are far more aggressive. But they are not as physically strong for their size.
    And the pit bull bans are stupid and increasingly unpopular. They are not science based and have not been effective.

    Do you know the real aggressive breed problem that we have? Poorly socialized young people.

    American bull dogs are much bigger and stronger than the pit but there have been far fewer problems with them.

    Why? Because they tend not to be owned by plebian trash.

  28. Out here in the boon docks we sometimes have to kill a dog. Sometimes they attack live stock, sometimes they threaten people. More often they’ve been dropped off and show up in such a horrible state that it’s hard to hold back the tears while one does the only humane thing possible and mercifully puts them down.

    I have two dogs of my own and have always loved pretty much any dog that isn’t attempting to harm me. I have however been the end of more than a few for the reasons listed above. What I’ve never done is indicate my intention to kill a peaceful animal at a latter date nor posed with the corpse of the animals I’ve put down.

    I have to go with the guy is a scumbag who wanted to kill that dog because he wanted to kill that dog. It’s ugly and sad, just as he seems to be ugly and sad.

  29. Lots of emotion, but we still don’t have all of the circumstances. Pit bulls can be dangerous, whether it is the breed themselves or the negligence of the owners. My buddies pit is a sweetheart – to its own family. It has a tendency to attack other dogs despite being treated and raised well. Pitbulls do attack other dogs. Some folks breed pitbulls specifically to fight, even though that practice is illegal and immoral.

    My Weimaraner, despite usually being a sweetheart, has gone after other dogs. She might have torn some to shreds if not for my intervention. Most pitbulls are good guard dogs, and their are many dogs that can attack people. Heck, I was bit in the leg by a mini poodle mix. I lived, and so did the dog.

    So despite this man being an idiot, and the fact that he may be guilty, I will reserve judgement until all of the facts are in. Anyone who lets their dog roam takes a risk that their dog may get into trouble. That dog could get hurt or hurt someone else.

    I certainly hope that a judge or jury could approach the situation in a fair and balanced manner. So should TTAG.

    • Well put Accur81. The guy can be an a$$hole and innocent all the same. I’ve had cause to shoot a few dogs over the years and I’d hate to be brought up on charges over emotions for having done so. Let’s just say that his facebook posts don’t lend him much credibility in the self-defense realm.

      • He posted (sigh!) on FACEBOOK that he was going to shoot the dog.

        Yeah… innocent, my ass.

        • it is the curse of attention seeking on social media.

          sadly there is little opportunity for people to make a stand in real life any more.

          for this knuckle-dragger, this was his big moment. pathetic.

          I’d like to see him swing for it, but unlikely they will even bother to slap his wrist. rip tank, condolences to the family. sadness all around 🙁

          • I dunno, Mina. It’s obviously a premeditated crime. Since he announced his plans, and bragged about it afterwards (with a picture of himself with his kill, even!), the court might feel backed into a corner about it, and feel they have to devise some sort of punishment for him. Work in an animal shelter, maybe?

    • I take issue with your entire premise but one statement more than others puts into doubt everything you assert to be true: pit bull type dogs make TERRIBLE guard dogs.

      There are many videos online that show how bad, exactly. One especially hilarious clip a man in a dog attack suit coming into an empty home and rummaging through the living room and kitchen and the pit bull type dog never gets up from the arm chair but wags his tail ferociously.

      Guard dog? Hah! No.

      • Dang! I plumb FORGOT we were originally discussing PBs as guard dogs! Now, where was I?

        • I know, I agree. It is distressing how these threads instantly turn into “general pit bull debate”

          I knew it would, that’s why I am monitoring it 🙂

          I know it’s supposed to be about Tank … thanks for poking me!

  30. Pit bulls aren’t all bad, in fact they can be some damn good dogs. This guy makes me sick, part of it is I got a border collie last year who is now about 1 1/2. She’s a really sweet dog and greets everybody buy running up and jumping on them to give them ” hugs” as my girl friend says, I am trying to break her of this habit or only limit it to people who know she’s just saying hi. In all honesty I’m worried somebody will call animal control or whatever.

    • One thing’s for sure: you’ll never teach a dog it can jump on some people, but not on others. It’s all or nothing, don’t you agree?

    • Like guns, dogs require responsible and thoughtful handling.

      You can’t teach a dog to not jump up if he/she is allowed to jump up ‘sometimes’

      Dogs don’t understand inconsistencies.

      Do you put your guns away only ‘sometimes’? wear your ears ‘sometimes’?

  31. Mina who said criminals & gangbangers don’t love their pit bulls??? Plenty of dead & mangled men, women & children in recent Chicago history hurt by pit bulls. Most with sh###ty irresponsible owners.

    • What I cannot understand for the life of me, but maybe you can point me in the direction here:

      All of the horrible dogs that no one loves, that are not fed, abused, vicious. Yet when they show up to bite people, they present for inspection their ancestry paperwork, registration papers? What?

      Who in the hell says that these are “pit bulls”? WTF is a “pit bull”?? – Answer: It is whatever you say it is.

      But, you know, that’s not like it’s subjective at all or anything. 😐 Dumb.

        • That’s right he had papers and ancestry to prove that.

          However it does not make every single dog since the 1930s with a blocky head, short coat and medium stocky build a pit bull, does it?

          You could in theory create a dog that looks like that from crossing:
          Mastiff
          Whippet
          Corgi
          Great Dane

          Not one ounce of “pit bull” – yet could have the characteristics. Could LOOK exactly like any sterotypical “pit bull” with zero actual pit bull blood. So: Still a pit bull, yea or nea??

          Fact is one cannot predict behavior on the basis of looks.

          For example I am kind of a pretty, small girl. You’d never guess what a vicious b*tch I am until I open my mouth and start coming after you (smiles sweetly.)

  32. “To review: you can only use deadly force on another person when you or other innocent life are in imminent danger of death or grievous bodily harm. The threat must be credible and imminently imminent (i.e., in the process of occurring). The same standard applies to family pets.”

    Regardless of this guy, who may have done this for fun, the above quote is simply wrong and I don’t know where it came from. People and pets are not equal. You do not need to be in imminent danger of ‘death or grievous bodily harm’ to shoot an animal. An attacking animal is pretty much fair game, especially on your own property.

    • +1 Animals aren’t people, not even the really cute friendly ones. It isn’t possible to “murder” a dog.

  33. … and of course let’s ignore the possibility that the dog is a nuisance to the neighbor and there may be history of the neighboring trying to get the owner to restrain the dog and keep it from wondering onto his property…

    I’ve had this problem before. I’m not jumping on some idiot’s ass because someone else is eager to vilify this guy… I’ve had owners not work with me to keep their dog off my property – repeatedly – and after calling the police enough times I was told, by the police, that maybe I “should move”. I grew up there… I’m not moving. It took a petition of neighbors to finally get some help from the city and in the end nothing happened because (once again) the police would have to enforce it and they didn’t want to get involved. Thankfully someone living on the street behind us resolved the matter when he shot the dog (and went to jail for it). The owner was an ass, and he though he could do as he pleased. His dog was a threat to kids and everyone and had bitten people more than once, but no one could ever “prove” it was his dog to the cops.

    I don’t know. Maybe this guy was tired of trying.

    • ” His dog was a threat to kids and everyone and had bitten people more than once,”

      Hmm. Maybe you’re onto something! Where does it say that, pray tell?

  34. Was is illegal for him it shoot the dog? It wouldn’t have been in my county. Sounds to me like dog owner was completely clear on what would happen if the dog went stray on his neighbors property. If you keep a dog, especially a pitbull, you’d better keep up with them.

  35. Since we are people of the gun lets use facts to back up our arguments. Google fatal dog attacks and find the facts to back up your claims. Many people are arguing emotionally on both sides of the issue.
    According to Dogbite.org 78% of dog bite fatalities last year were from Pitbulls.. That was 25 out of 32 deaths. Pit Bulls account for 6% of the dog population. There appears to be a problem with the breed. Over half of the fatalities were on family members.
    Looking over the Wikipedia fatal dog bite section, it looks like until the last 15 years or so Rottweilers were the most popular dog to kill someone. Pit Bull fatal attacks seemed to have surged in the last 20 years. We all love our own dogs but maybe there is something to the belief that Pit Bulls are prone to violence.

    • Yeah… facts are like a$$holes… global warming is real too, plenty of facts to back that up. /s
      Now go google “dogsbite.org lies”
      Now think about where pit’s are most popular. Now look up gun violence in those areas.
      See where I’m going with this?
      Do you own a pit? Have you ever?
      You obviously don’t subscribe to the pop media’s views on guns… do yourself a solid & use the same intelligence & scrutiny regarding this breed. Maybe talk to some actual owners.

    • No, the problem is that pitbulls are now the “badass” dog breed. People who want badass dogs now gravitate toward pitbulls. They raise them to be mean. Before pitbulls the badass breed was rotties. Before the rotties the badass breed was dobies. Before dobies the badass breed was German shepherds.

      It’s not the breed of the dog, it’s the upbringing. And the assholes that raise them that way.

    • “We all love our own dogs but maybe there is something to the belief that Pit Bulls are prone to violence.”

      It could be as simple as, people who want vicious dogs buy pit bulls.

      • C’mon over to my place for coffee, Rich and let’s talk about this.

        I promise I won’t bite. Hard.

        • Dogs are amazingly easy to train, by a person who knows their elbow from a hole in the ground. I’ve read comments from more than one “obedience school”-type person who said that it’s the people who need to be trained!

    • DOGSBITE.ORG ?????

      Do you get your gun information and stats from Moms Demand Action?

      Jeezuz, man, check your source. WTF.

  36. Mina I get it, and frankly my gun is on about 99.9% of the time, so I never actually lock it up unless I am flying somewhere, as for ears, I sometimes don’t wear ears. Anyways I have actually got her to the point where I can let her of lf her leash and she just runs up to people she knows, occasionally jumping, she only does it now when she gets excited, ie I come home from work or from being out of town

    • My female dog likes to jump up, so we just don’t let her get close to people when she is over excited.

      We keep her on a leash and once she calms down she can visit 🙂

  37. Highwayman: Pit bull mixes are the current fad dog among people that want to appear tough and keep a “tough” dog as a status symbol. Same thing’s happened to German Shepard’s, Rottweilers, Dobermans, etc.

    I’m not suggesting they’re harmless; they’re a large, muscular dog and like any other large, muscular dog, can be dangerous…but if it’s a type of dog that’s been around for 100 years and there’s only been a problem in the last 10-15 years that would suggest that the breed *isn’t* an inherent problem, but that idiots are temporarily attracted to the breed(s).

    Also, pit bulls aren’t a recognized formal breed by the American Kennel Club so there seems to be a lot of lattitude in what is/isn’t a pit which complicates things.

    • The anti-pit bull people classifiy everything that has a blocky head, medium coat and stocky build as a “pit bull”. That works to further their agenda – much easier to call most any dog attack a “pit bull attack”.

      The “pit bull advocates” hurt themselves by attributing special powers and ungodly magic to every dog with a blocky head, medium coat and stocky build and proudly proclaim them “MY PIT BULL IS FAMILY (TM)” then whine and complain when the news papers call everything a “pit bull”.

      This is precisely what happens when you get Liberals on both sides of a public debate. It will never be resolved. I gave up a long time ago because they are too stupid to understand why the debate continues and their part in ensuring that is does continue.

      Luckily what has finally gotten these types of laws repealed is the sheer cost to implement such a logistically impossible prohibition. And lots of towns, cities have had pricey lawsuits.

  38. I thought I would throw another log on the fire about how dangerous pits are. I asked my veterinarian once how dangerous they were (didn’t have any pit or bull type dogs back then). His response?
    “If you mean the breed intrinsically, not really. They are probably just the most common of around 100 breeds that tend to be very strong. I mean, that’s basically the whole story.

    In terms of any particular pit bull I see in here, I can usually tell immediately if the dog is going to be a problem, meaning hard for us to deal with or exhibiting concerning behavioral traits, by looking at the owner.”

  39. Oh, one other comment of his, on the role of nature versus nurture and pits:
    “If you raised a human the way a lot of these ferociously aggressive pits that have really mauled or killed people were raised, you would have a serial killer on your hands.”

  40. Just a note . I have a family member that has a very friendly pit bull for a pet. I googled dog bite fatalities after reading the comments of this article. The fact remains no matter how you look at it 25 out of 32 fatal dog bite fatalities last year were from some form of Pit Bull. I am not saying ban the dogs, but i am saying the numbers of fatal attacks by them seems to be disproportionate to their numbers! A fact driven reply could re–educate me.

    • 1. For the purpose of categorizing breeds behind attacks, pit bulls have in fact basically become a kind of residual category. When I see a dog on the news that has committed some of attack and which is described (e.g. by animal control officers) as a pit, a frequent reaction is “uh….ok, but that does not look like a pit”. So, like anything else in this world, you get what you measure: yes, 2+2=4, but first we have to agree that 2 actually is 2.
      2. The question is whether they are particularly aggressive. Because they are a stronger than average breed their attacks will be more likely to be statistically noted. The prevalence of anything is truncated by severity (e.g. no one really knows how many people a year get the flu or dengue).
      3. On the nature versus nurture front, pits also suffer from who owns them. Next time you see something on the news about a pit attack, look as hard at the owners as you do the dog.There are lots of pit bulls in my middle class neighborhood. No attacks. (Actually, the most aggressive dogs in my hood are a pair of bichon frisees). Why not? Because my neighbors aren’t a bunch of plebians.

    • You can read my comment above but basically there are two big things:

      1. everything under the sun is labelled as a “pit bull” I have seen photos of dogs that attacked someone that looked like a coon hound they called a pit bull. happens ALL the time.

      2. the media lies. I mean I know they always tell the truth about guns and gun owners and the NRA but trust me on this.

    • Big picture of things Highwayman, take everything you know about how the Liberals approach wanting to ban assault weapons, and apply it to medium sized stocky dogs with short coats and blocky heads.

      It is 100%, exactly the same people the same arguments, the same lies, the same obfuscations, and the same need to CHARACTERIZE the people involved.

      Much like gun owners are called old fat angry white men, “pit bull” type dog owners are characterized as thugs and low-lifes.

      I am neither fat, angry or male nor am I a thug or a low life. I own guns and blocky-headed dogs. As millions of people the world over have done for 100s of years … and were guns or these dogs as Inherently Dangerous as “they” say, “gun deaths” and “death by dog” would be far less rare than they both are.

  41. 25 out of 32 fatal dog bite fatalities, while an interesting statistic, is hardly an epidemic. It probably ranks with “being killed by lightning” as a cause of death. Can we please use a little common sense here?

    • Dog attack fatalities are actually way less than kids dying by having TVs and large furniture fall on them.

      So why aren’t we talking about banning large TVs, furniture or having Police inspect every home for dangerous furniture? Its for the children.

      • The “25 out of 32 [fatal dog attacks are by pit bulls]” stat wasn’t about there being an epidemic of dog bites. It was to emphasize that out of how many hundreds of dog breeds, pit bulls are responsible for 78% of them.

        • Rich, how many were attacks by multiple dog breeds? Dogs, like people, behave differently on their own than they do in a pack.

        • 4.5 million reported dog bites per year. http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/dog-bites/index.html

          Focusing on dog breeds is not unlike focusing on human race, or ethnic groups. Ill let you look up black males vs asian or white women and see what you come up with.

          Or guns, since this is a gun site. Certain guns are involved more often in crimes right? Does have a highpoint make one rob a liquor store ?

          Also consider they lump all sorts of mixes and any dog that looks pitbull like, as a pitbull. For example a boxer lab mix, would be a pitbull on the news. I saw a beagle boston terrier mix that looked like a 9 month of pitbull. Look at the number of pitbulls registed and not registered. I think they are far and away the most popular non registered dogs out there.

          Its its not unlike saying look at how many accidents honda civic drivers get in, or camry.

          There is nothing unique about them. Go back in time, the stats have changed as the appeal of the dogs changed to different people.

          Its like a honda civic in a boy racer wannabe 17 year old driving his car different then say a 62 year old accountant father of 5 kids. The car does not make the kid drive like a jackhole. HE IS A JACKHOLE. He would drive any car like a jackass.

        • My name is Rich Grise and I get my gun info and stats from Mothers Demand Action against gun violence.

          My name is Rich Grise and I get my dog info and stats from dogs-bite-me-dot-org

          Hypocrite.

        • Plus … anyone with more than two brain cells to rub together, upon reviewing those false data points can also reasonably conclude that most of those dogs who bit someone or killed someone had nary a drop of “pit bull” blood in them at all.

          If the stats/data are from dogs bite me, everything that bites anyone anytime anywhere is a pit bull.

          Just like everything that anyone gets shot by anywhere anytime is an assault rifle.

          There is NO difference between how the “anti pit bull” argument and the “anti assault weapon” arguments are framed. None.Zero.

          • “anyone reviewing those false data points”

            OK, if they’re false, I’m wrong. Please educate me, rather than lashing out like some PO’d 3-year-old.

  42. The way some of you all are going on about a dog is ridiculous. The family’s story doesn’t mean jacksquat when they let their dog go off and wander around without any supervision.

    It isn’t the neighbors responsibility to call animal control (just like it isn’t your responsibility as a gun owner not to defend yourself and your property and only wait for police). If he had posted on facebook before about the dog there is no way we don’t know that he didn’t talk to the owners about the dog. Unfortunately for the owners they learned a hard lesson about what happens when their dog is left to wonder and they don’t have him fenced in or on a pole.

    I bet they learn their lesson next time.
    There is nothing irresponsible about this gun owner, irresponsible dog owner should be the title.

    • Have to respectfully disagree. Yes it is the owners responsibility to keep their dog under control but the dog was not vicious and the dumbass discharged his AKM in a residential neighborhood. He could have missed and put a bullet into a neighbor. And if the dog had be vicious why is it he had plenty of time to get his AK and shoot the dog at a time of day everyone was gone. This guy just wanted to shoot something.

      • Agreed, it was premeditated he was aching to kill the dog. He could have stayed in his house and called animal control.

        He could have called the owner, the county sheriff, he could use pepper spray, a horn etc.

        If a dog makes a move at you, i think in many places you do have the legal right to shoot it, but it shoot be cornering you, look rabid etc.

        Who wants to shoot some little girls dog, whether it be a pitbull or a maltese.

        • Prove it was premeditated. How can he premeditate killing the dog when the dog was allowed to come into his property due to owner negligence and he felt threatened and killed it.

          What do you have to disprove that?

          • TROLL: He posted that he was going to kill the dog on Facebook; then he killed it and posted a photo of himself with the dead dog on Facebook, you rotten MF troll.

        • William Burke you sound about as non-sensible and overly emotional as your typical anti-2nd amendment advocate.

          You can’t prove anything you charge yet you want the man prosecuted for what? because you like dogs and want to give a pass to terrible dog owners whose negligence caused their dog to be in the position to get shot because it was wandering on someone else’s property unattended.

          • Where did I say I wanted him prosecuted? I’ll wait.

            And I’m not overly fond of dogs, as a matter of fact. But I like them better than dog-killers. And you.

      • He coudl have discharged anything he wanted in the neighborhood, it was a matter of protecting himself from an intruder.
        It is weird to me how you dog lovers cut off all logic and just assume because the dog was nice with the family that it wasn’t aggressive with the man who put it down.
        It is also confusing to me how half to people in here talk about their right to 2nd amendment and all that other stuff, yet when it comes to this man’s right in protecting himself and his property, you want to start talking about ordinances that would have him jailed for protecting himself.

        Let me ask you a question. If he shot a man who he claimed attacked him, who wandered on his property, would you bring up him shooting a gun in a residential area? So why if he shot a dog and said it was for his protection would say shooting the gun is illegal now?
        Get it together, be logically consistent and respect his right to be safe and secure of his property and use of firearms to protect those things.

        Blame the owner for not ensuring their dog was contained to THEIR property

    • Noooo. He wanted to kill the dog. Did you see his FB posts. It would be like someone seeing a riot because of the final four at michigan state, then this person goes there, but before he leaves, they say i am going to shoot someone. Then they wait for someone to light something on fire, or lift up a trash can and throw it in their direction and then shoot them. They were not afraid, but they could say i feared for my life. Stuff like that.

      This guy was in the safety of his home. He was not on a bike and a dog jumped up and mauled him. His wife was not taking in the groceries and cornered her, and he saved her. He sought out the dog to kill it because he has blood lust.

      No one would be upset if he got out of his car and a random dog latched onto his leg and he stabbed it to death or shot it.

      • Your analogy doesn’t fit at all.

        You also ignore the concept that the man has HIS property. The owners of the dog due to their poor ownership allowed their dog to violate the rights of the owner’s property by continuing to let their dog wander unaccompanied and now it is dead because the OWNER of the PROPERTY whose rights were violated ended a threat on his life.

        Now you prove that didn’t happen and get back to me.

        • According to your twisted theory, he would have been within his “rights” to shoot dead a wandering 4- year old boy who irritated him by setting foot upon his property.

          How about raping a vicious six-year old girl?

        • Lets see a 4 year old child is incapable of posing a realistic threat to a grown man, so if he shot the kid and claimed self defense no jury would buy it.

          A dog is entirely different. a 1 year old dog can harm a person and a person has no obligation to protect another person’s property for them when it wanders into theirs.

          He did what was in his right if he felt threatened.

      • Those who hate dogs and love cops and everything they do shall always praise killers of dogs, and cops who kill humans.

      • He saw ’em; he hardly could have missed them. He’s just cherry-picking information so as to create a false impression about what really happened.

        AREN’T YOU, Hooded Stranger?

  43. I can’t respond to all the ignorance on here but I had to say, dogs and guns are allot alike. Both are maligned by ignorant people, and no free man should be denied either. The same brainwashed people use the same terms, the same words, like safety, their rights, their emotional problems etc as reasons to ban things.

    If you can’t own the dog you want, you are not a free man. You may have some modest amount of freedom, but if you can’t have any dog you want, you are not free.

    Pit bulls are seeing eye dogs, drug sniffing dogs, cop dogs, therapy dogs, and until the late 1980s they were involved in almost no attacks.

    Now attacks. The media does not like people to know the dogs that attacks, not nips (there are something like 4 million reported dog bites per year, that means there must be a multiple of that, as not everyone goes to ER for every bite) are almost all male dogs, intact, outside on a chain and poorly or no socialization. The attack people in the yard.

    Thats the prescription for a bad dog. A wound up, busting at the seams with testorsterone, no one loves him, cold, wet, on a chain etc. It makes any dog crazy.

    Then you have to wonder about the people that go in such yards, or taunt such dogs.

    Human attacks have been bred out of dogs for the most part, almost all dogs love all humans. My rottweiler does not like STRANGERS within 300 ft of my house, he loves people though. On a walk, he loves everyone and tons of people love on him every day. Pitbulls if anything want to fight other dogs (the bull dog in them), and they often want to kill little vermin as they are also half terrier. But then many like my bros staffy, loves cats, rats, birds, hedgehog etc. And is not dog aggressive at all.

    Many dog fighters cannot even get their champion line fighting offspring to fight. They do not all take to it. It is not a given that even pitbull, or any bully breed is all about violence.

    The greatest evidence is history. Look back, they were not bad dogs. They were american poster mascots in WWI, look up buster browns dog, the rca dog, sargent stubbby the first university mascot and decorated war hero ! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergeant_Stubby

    No dog can stop trashy and irresponsible people for latching onto a certain breed. You can bane rotts, dobes, german sheps, pitbulls etc.

    Do you think trashy low lifes will not find a new dog dejour to put in rap videos, drug houses in the ghetto, and meth labs alike ?

    Wake the Eff up!

    • You need to take this up with Presidential candidate Rich Grise, who says dog issues and gun issues couldn’t be more unalike.

      While you’re at it, tell the skinflint to take out a campaign ad at TTAG.

  44. I realize I am late to the party so it is entirely possible that nobody will read this. And I only skimmed through the previous 236 comments so I may have missed this already being addressed. Regardless, here’s my $0.02 contribution.

    My wife recently ran afoul of one of her co-workers for supporting a local property owner’s decision not to let pit bulls into their store anymore. My wife’s co-worker was all up in arms and trying to get support to boycott that establishment (she has two rescued pit bulls) which I support as her right to do. My only problem with her boycott is a trend that is prevalent in not only the pit bull crowd and anti-gun crowd. It has become something of a social norm that most sane thinking people have learned to tolerate because you cant argue or debate with people who are incapable of accepting facts. In this case it is acknowledging the source of the problem and acting to correct it.

    To her the problem was the ban of pit bulls in the store, so she was taking action!!! She wanted nothing to do with a conversation full of facts because some of them were inconvenient to her and (more importantly) the true problem is too difficult to address. The facts relevant here include 1) different dog breeds have different instinctive behaviors. Humans have bread them for thousands of years to nurture those instinctive behaviors. 2) Pit bulls have been bread to be instinctively aggressive and fight. 3) If not properly trained, socialized and cared for dogs will instinctively entertain themselves. 4) Currently there is a disproportionately large percentage and total number of pit bull owners who keep pit bulls because of their instinct/potential and then either do not care for/train them properly or worse.

    This woman’s answer to all of that was to simply insist that, “Pit bulls are wonderful loving dogs!” Yes, they certainly can be. So can golden retrievers, but if you don’t exercise them and introduce them to strangers they will chew up your sofa and growl at every person they meet. She was completely unwilling that there might exist a difference between the instinctive behavior of a retriever or demographic of ownership. The only problem as she saw it was a business boycotting her favorite breed. She wouldn’t even go so far as to renounce the conduct of dog owners who have given pit bulls their current reputation.

    This sort of intentional blindness has been displayed by religious leaders being unwilling to renounce the actions of extremists after various terrorist attacks, anti-gunners in the face of overwhelming statistical and logical evidence, and in the current example dog owners. All groups like this may have a legitimate gripe about one condition or another but unless they are willing to address the root cause (no matter how difficult a target it is) instead of targeting loosely related soft targets around the periphery of the problem. It is strange that they consider it “fighting for” a cause when in reality they are actually perpetuating and exacerbating the very thing that they stand against. With the anti’s it is targeting honest law abiding citizens to stop criminals, thus making criminal enterprise more appealing. With pit bull owners it is targeting people and businesses who have had trouble with pit bulls (because of their owners) instead of acknowledging that the culture that surrounds their breed of choice is the problem. In the we have the same problem that has existed for thousands of years . . . shitty people do shitty things. And, after thousands of years punishing bystanders is still not the solution. It’s just easier to do. Which raises the question, if you support the punishment of the bystanders what does that make you?

      • It was more in response to some of the other posts in the tread that were arguing about the many virtues of pit bulls. Not so much about the original article.

        For the record I have spent time around a few and enjoyed brief visits an meetings with a great many pit bulls and almost always found them to be very agreeable friendly dogs.

        • True, and I can honestly say I’ve seen the worst and the best of them, and it does always seem to be a direct reflection of their owners. Not surprising, huh?

  45. April 27, 2012|By Jessica Anderson, The Baltimore Sun

    Pit bulls are inherently dangerous animals, the state’s highest court has ruled, a decision that could lead to stiff penalties for people found responsible in attacks — even if the dogs have never been violent before.

    A decision by the Maryland Court of Appeals, issued this week, distinguishes pit bulls and mixed breeds from other kinds of dogs. In the past, a victim intending to file a lawsuit after a dog attack had to prove that a dog’s owner knew it had a history of being dangerous. Now, showing that the owner or landlord knew a dog is part pit bull would be sufficient for a claim.

    “It is no longer necessary to prove that the particular pit bull or pit bulls are dangerous,” the court ruled Thursday.

    The case stems from a 2007 attack on a child in Towson that led several local governments to reconsider the laws governing pit bulls. The animals are banned in Prince George’s County.

    But some who oppose the ruling argue that a dog’s breed is not a reliable way to predict whether the animal might become violent. They worry that the decision will make it more difficult for pit bull owners to find housing, and discourage others from adopting the dogs.

    In a dissenting opinion, one justice said the decision establishes a troublesome precedent.

    “Now, it appears, the issue of whether a dog is harmless, or the owner or landlord has any reason to know that the dog is dangerous, is irrelevant to the standard of strict liability,” wrote Judge Clayton Greene Jr.

    The decision is in response to a Baltimore County Circuit Court decision in the case of 10-year-old Dominic Solesky, who was attacked by a neighbor’s pit bill in 2007.

    After the attack, Dominic’s family sued the dog owner’s landlord, Dorothy M. Tracey. The Circuit Court judge threw out the claim, ruling there was no evidence that Tracey had been negligent.

    The Court of Special Appeals overturned the judge’s decision, and the Court of Appeals affirmed that ruling Thursday. The case will now head back to trial.

    Pauline Houliaras, president of B-More Dog, which formed in 2007 to fight anti-pit bull legislation in Baltimore County, said the group is “extremely disappointed” with the court’s decision.

    “This will not make a community safer,” said Houliaras, who is also a certified professional dog trainer and behavior consultant.

    Instead, she said, the ruling will lead to discrimination against pit bull owners and will discourage landlords from renting to all kinds of dog owners across the state because dog breeds are often misidentified.

    “You can’t identify breed based on appearance,” she said.

    Kevin A. Dunne, attorney for the Solesky family, said Friday that “the Court of Appeals decision will likely cause there to be fewer pit bull maulings of the citizens of the state of Maryland.”

    Dunne said the high court’s decision “didn’t say pit bulls are banned. It makes the owner of the dog financially responsible for the injuries caused. It affects you if your dog hurts somebody else.”

    But Houliaras said she fears the ruling will prompt shelters to re-evaluate their adoption policies, possibly restricting pit bull breed adoptions, as well as causing more owners to relinquish their pets, and potentially causing higher euthanization rates of pit bulls and pit bull mixes.

    “We agree that dog owners should be held liable for injuries caused when their dogs bite people, but this should be regardless of the breed,” she said.

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