Dog Shot in Norton

[Amputee Marksman]

As a dog owner of an "escape" artist and I previously owned hunting/bird dogs and a hunter it boils down to a few things.

Contain your dog or get a fence or equivalent. I also invested in a GPS collar for my 5 month old lab/coon hound mix. She is an escape artist, fast as shit through a goose and once she gets on a scent trail there is no stopping her. The GPS collar allows me to track her down and get her back. Also spend some time and money for a good trainer so your dog will listen to you. After a month of training and work by me everyday my Bailey will just about always stop and stay when commanded.

As a dog owner you need to know your dog and work hard to make them successful. You can't set them up for failure or it is on you. These people knew the dog escaped a lot and was gone for long periods of time. Regardless of what they may or may not have believed about what the dog was doing while he was gone it was a problem. I understand better then anyone about an escaped and missing dog however this should be the exception, not the rule, and you should be trying to find your dog and get it back. To just let it roam for hours at a time is irresponsible and not to sound cruel but you get what you get. Rightly or wrongly someone killed the dog. We can debate on if they were as ass or not and if it was justified or not but at the end of the day you let the dog roam and did nothing. As a dog owner it sucks for this happen but in this case the owners bears a large amount of responsibility.

As far as shooting a dog. If I feel in danger and the dog shows visible signs of aggression towards me, my dogs or anyone in my party it is going down. End of story. If the dog is running deer not sure what I would do. Never been in that situation. I do know when I was kid growing up in Nebraska and we had dogs raiding the chicken coop, or running cows my Dad shot them dead without thinking twice.

 

[Ringworm]

Norton PD investigating one of their own?

 

[AHM]

I sure hope that the owner of the tree stand
(whose fingerprints are doubtless slathered all over it)
has a good alibi for that day.

I wonder if there are any game cams in the area.

 

[Dennis in MA]

No doubt - but it's truly a shame that the dog had to pay the price.

I am never one to advocate more government, but I bet that if every time the dog took off, he was thrown in the pound and it cost them $50 bucks to get Fido out, they would have kept a better eye on him.
And I understand if a neighbor etc. got pissed off if the dog was always running lose, but you shoot the thing?
Poor pooch.

OR. . . . . people risk Fido getting shot if they can't keep him in the yard. Seems like the problem solves itself in about 30-40 states in the Union.

 

[ThePreBanMan]

I sure hope that the owner of the tree stand
(whose fingerprints are doubtless slathered all over it)
has a good alibi for that day.

I wonder if there are any game cams in the area.

Again with the assumptions... There's no evidence or established facts based upon such that the dog was even shot in the area of the treestand. Only that it was found near it. In fact, the article suggests there were indications that the dog had been moved/dragged. If anything that would indicate it likely wasn't.

I know of several permanent treestands that I've seen several different people hunt out of. In fact, I've seen hunters on this very forum complain about others using their stands.

Point being - your making assumptions and assigning guilt and you shouldn't be. Unless a trail cam with a clearly incriminating pic surfaces, or some kind of eyewitness irrefutable testimony.....

 

[RHJJ]

The dog had a stick impaled in it. The sick as$hole who did this should have the same done to him.

 

[ThePreBanMan]

The dog had a stick impaled in it. The sick as$hole who did this should have the same done to him.

No it didn't. It wasn't "impaled". Read the article again. It had a stick in it's mouth. That hardly qualifies as "impaled".

Derpa derpa is high in this thread..

 

[RHJJ]

No it didn't. It wasn't "impaled". Read the article again. It had a stick in it's mouth. That hardly qualifies as "impaled".

Derpa derpa is high in this thread..

ATTLEBORO — The beloved dog of a Slater Street family that went missing a day or two ago was found shot to death on Thursday with a stick apparently jammed down his throat.“It looks like someone did it intentionally,” Taylor Henriques said. She said the area where Bo was found, was disturbed and had a number of bloody sticks spread around. It also appeared Bo may have been dragged, she said.

 

[ThePreBanMan]

ATTLEBORO — The beloved dog of a Slater Street family that went missing a day or two ago was found shot to death on Thursday with a stick apparently jammed down his throat.“It looks like someone did it intentionally,” Taylor Henriques said. She said the area where Bo was found, was disturbed and had a number of bloody sticks spread around. It also appeared Bo may have been dragged, she said.

And when you continue reading it talks about the stick just being in it's mouth.. also note the word "apparently"... In other words... Embellishment in the statement from an emotionally distraught owner. Understandable, but not factual...

The whole situation seems highly suspect.. Consider what we do know:

Owner loses control of animal = negligence
Owner has a history of the above = gross negligence

Result: Owner finds dog dead in woods.

But it gets better... Rather than calling the police and letting the professionals investigate the alleged crime, the owner decides to perform their own autopisey, disturbing god knows what at the scene in the process, allegedly extracts a bullet from the animal, and then decides that posting it on social media was their best course of action... Then they make statements about how it looks like the dog was moved, there are a lot of bloody sticks around. Gee - you don't say. And one was in its mouth - or I'm sorry allegedly shoved down its throat. And we're supposed to take all this at face value... based solely on the statements of the owners.....

 

[commodon]

Attleboro dog owners more than double reward for killer of their pet

ATTLEBORO — The owners of Bo, the coon hound that was shot and killed in Norton woods last week, have added $5,000 to the reward pot for information leading to the arrest of the person who took the life of their beloved pet. It now totals $8,100.

Taylor Henriques, who owned Bo with her husband Steve and their children, sent an email to The Sun Chronicle Tuesday afternoon announcing the additional reward money in hopes of spurring someone to come forward with information that will break the case.

“We have been considering this from the beginning,” Henriques said. “We feel that offering a reward ourselves shows our sincerity. Bo was a very important part of our family and justice will help bring us closure.”

The couple’s children are ages 2 and 5.

The violent death of Bo has been hard on all, including the family’s other dog, a German shepherd, but especially the kids, Henriques said.

“Our son is asking if Bo can come back for Christmas and our 2-year-old keeps saying ‘where Bo,’” she said.

As of yesterday, the reward amount from four other sources totaled $3,100. The additional $5,000 brought the total to $8,100.

Last Friday, the Henriques held a press conference in City Hall to urge the responsible person to come forward.

They said they want to know exactly what happened to Bo, who was 3-years-old when he was killed after slipping away from their home, which is near the Norton line, for a romp in the woods which blanket the area.

He was found last Thursday about three-quarters of a mile from the home, near the power lines off West Hodges Street in Norton.

Bo was killed during shotgun deer hunting season and some have suggested the shooting could have been an accident; however, he was found with a stick in his throat, which could indicate he was purposely killed. Other bloody sticks were found in the area, the owners said.

Deer hunting season ended on Saturday.

Some readers are certain the shooting was malicious and the perpetrator could be dangerous.

Two, including Bobby Earls of Florida and Pamela Pawlowski of Rhode Island, noted in that sociopaths start by abusing animals and move on to killing humans.

They emphasized the need to find the person responsible.

If it was an accident, the person responsible has a legal obligation to report it, authorities said.

A necropsy was performed on Bo last Friday, but no results have been released.

Norton police, state police and the state’s environmental police are working on the case.

Norton police ask that anyone with “credible information” call 508-285-3300.

From Attleboro dog owners more than double reward for killer of their pet

 

[ThePreBanMan]

Sorry - but there's nothing factual there. All we have are the observations of the biased and emotionally distraught owner - who grossly tampered with the scene themselves.

When police reports start coming out based on facts and evidence, then we can start to say with some level of certainty what may have transpired. until then - 2nd stall from the left..

But - I wouldn't expect much. The owners trampling the scene basically ensures that law enforcement will never be able to definitively establish the facts. Certainly not enough for a conviction - even if they found the guy - which I doubt they will.

These people should never own another animal.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

Rather than calling the police and letting the professionals investigate the alleged crime, the owner decides to perform their own autopisey, disturbing god knows what at the scene in the process, allegedly extracts a bullet from the animal, and then decides that posting it on social media was their best course of action...

They didn't "perform their own", but hired a qualified vet to do it. Do you really thing the local PD would cordon off the area with crime scene tape, send out a photographer, check anywhere within a hundred yards or so for trace evidence, and arrange to have phydeaux taken to a vet medical examiner for analysis?

As to the tree stand - you need a lot more proof than "so and so had a tree stand in the area and does not have a good alibi for the window of time during which the killing could have occurred". But, people have this strange habit of running their mouth when questioned so there is an excellent change the dog killer would incriminate himself if confronted by a skilled interrogator.

 

[ThePreBanMan]

They didn't "perform their own", but hired a qualified vet to do it. Do you really thing the local PD would cordon off the area with crime scene tape, send out a photographer, check anywhere within a hundred yards or so for trace evidence, and arrange to have phydeaux taken to a vet medical examiner for analysis?

As to the tree stand - you need a lot more proof than "so and so had a tree stand in the area and does not have a good alibi for the window of time during which the killing could have occurred". But, people have this strange habit of running their mouth when questioned so there is an excellent change the dog killer would incriminate himself if confronted by a skilled interrogator.

Nope - but maybe take some pics, measurements, that sort of stuff. Maybe look for tracks, etc...

On the point about the autopsy - your interpretation is not how I read the story...
The story reads :

Henriques said hunter friends of hers and her husband’s said the bullet may have been fired from a handgun and that it appeared that Bo had been shot at close range.

They posted a photo of the bullet online.

She said the area where Bo was found, was disturbed and had a number of bloody sticks spread around. It also appeared Bo may have been dragged, she said.

Henriques and her husband Steve Henriques took Bo to Tufts V.E.T.S. in Walpole Thursday evening to see if doctors could determine if the stick in Bo’s mouth was purposely shoved in.

The way I read that the dog was brought to Tufts post finding the bullet. It was brought in later for the purpose of determining if the stick made its way into its mouth, or throat as the owners say, pre or post-death. Basic journalism requires you to lay out events in the order they occur...

dog found
dog autopsey performed and bullet extracted...
owners post pics online
then dog sent to vet at tufts.

But journalism these days.... Hell maybe your right... But that's not how it reads.

I think you're right about people incriminating themselves though. If they ever find a suspect....

Something that still doesn't sit right with me though, the person who did this would seemingly not want it found right? So why did they leave the corpse out in the open under the power lines? Why leave it right near your treestand? Hell, you drag it 50 yards into the woods and you ain't finding it before the coyote do. I'm scratching my head on that one... Maybe my spidey sense is just too cynical.

 

[Frizzle Fry]

So someone shoots the dog, and the cast of Stand By Me and/or some goth kid looking for a place to smoke clove cigarettes comes along and pokes it with a stick maybe?

 

[ThePreBanMan]

Your guess is as good as any. Being as that it was found under the power lines - that would be a relatively high traffic area this time of year. Hunters commonly use power lines and gas line easements as ingress and egress.. Railroad tracks too if applicable.

 

[millbilly]

I'm trying to imagine what you think they prevented from happening? Like a scene from csi, taped off, pictures, FBI psychological profiles being made. We got sean Penn over the screaming "is that my dog, is that my dog over there!" Someone who kills a domestic dog with indifference or for pleasure is a lot different than killing a viscous muscular breed dog that is attacking you. Growing up with dogs and having worked in a kennel in my youth, quite frankly taking one look at the picture of that dog I'm not buying the self defense theory. Of course this is speculating but I'd put some serious $ on it being a hunter given the location, week, etc

 

[ThePreBanMan]

The simple fact is, you don't know how law enforcement would have handled it had the owner not contaminated the scene. Only the green police who are handling it now would know.

But it can not be argued, in any reasonable way, that they did anything but hurt and damage their cause. The only question is by how much.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

The simple fact is, you don't know how law enforcement would have handled it had the owner not contaminated the scene. Only the green police who are handling it now would know.

But it can not be argued, in any reasonable way, that they did anything but hurt and damage their cause. The only question is by how much.

Actually, it can be argued.

Suppose the police would not have arranged an autopsy/necropsy of the dog or bother to recover the bullet? It's not like a human victim where one can be assured there will be a reasonable forensic effort by the system.

 

[AHM]

As to the tree stand - you need a lot more proof than "so and so had a tree stand in the area and does not have a good alibi for the window of time during which the killing could have occurred". But, people have this strange habit of running their mouth when questioned so there is an excellent change the dog killer would incriminate himself if confronted by a skilled interrogator.

Indeed. The only people on the whole planet who we can confidently predict ahead of time are guaranteed to get questioned is anyone whose prints they can match with whatever they can lift from the tree stand. And it would nip that nightmare in the bud if a convenient suspect had an alibi. I know I'd be relieved if I was able to respond to cops on my front steps with, "what are you talking about - I just got back from two weeks in Bangalore last night", with the ticket stubs to back it up.

I just hope no innocent youts were using the stand as the "coolest tree house ever".

The simple fact is, you don't know how law enforcement would have handled it had the owner not contaminated the scene. Only the green police who are handling it now would know.

But it can not be argued, in any reasonable way, that they did anything but hurt and damage their cause. The only question is by how much.

Prosecutors complain that the public's addiction to scientific police procedural dramas like the CSI franchise has become a problem: Complainants expect the DNA Lab Danger Cart to roll out every time someone parks in a handicapped spot without a tag.

I'm can believe that Norton PD is truly motivated to get to the bottom of this, and they may well find the (actual) shooter. But if answers don't come quickly, I don't think it's going to get the same resources as the Molly Bish case (sigh).

 

[n1oty]

I'm trying to imagine what you think they prevented from happening? Like a scene from csi, taped off, pictures, FBI psychological profiles being made. We got sean Penn over the screaming "is that my dog, is that my dog over there!" Someone who kills a domestic dog with indifference or for pleasure is a lot different than killing a viscous muscular breed dog that is attacking you. Growing up with dogs and having worked in a kennel in my youth, quite frankly taking one look at the picture of that dog I'm not buying the self defense theory. Of course this is speculating but I'd put some serious $ on it being a hunter given the location, week, etc

That's a lot of WEAK speculation. Years ago, I was bitten badly enough by a so-called "friendly breed" (black lab) that I had to go to the hospital. I did nothing to provoke it. I was merely stepping out of a house.

 

[millbilly]

I bet $100 the DNA forensics exam shows no human flesh on this pups teeth.

 

[Amputee Marksman]

That's a lot of WEAK speculation. Years ago, I was bitten badly enough by a so-called "friendly breed" (black lab) that I had to go to the hospital. I did nothing to provoke it. I was merely stepping out of a house.

My dog is reserved but friendly as long as myself or my wife is around. On her own she is skittish and to be honest afraid of a lot of things. While I don't like thinking about it she would bite someone without thinking under the correct circumstances. I forget what the vet called it but basically the dog is in an unfamiliar circumstance and afraid so they bite. Not saying that coon hound did that but any dog will bite under the right conditions.

Bottom line, dog was out in the woods roaming. Someone shot the dog. Bloody sticks found around the dog. That is what is known. Anything else is pure speculation.

 

[Paul455]

Never ever let your dog run loose....EVER.

Nothing but bad things will happen.

Try telling your 8 and 11 year old that their GSD was hit and killed by a car right before Christmas.

I did.

 

[rwl1955]

There are no FACTS to this case except the dog was loose and running around in the woods and someone shot it. The stick in the mouth comes from the owners who found the dog, everything else is speculation. Hopefully the perp will be outed and we get a reason for the killing.

 

[crazymjb]

I disagree completely. If your telling me you can tell the difference between a hound sized dog and a coyote when said animal is running through the woods, at oh say 70 yards and in cover... If that is what your telling me then I'm going to suggest you actually spend a little more time in the woods. Shit happens fast and you have to decide in an instant to shoot ot not.

I'm not saying such shots are ethical and should be taken. Only that mistakes can and do happen... They happen every year in fact.

Some are being far too quick to judge and condemn the shooter as some malicious ass hat. We don't even know that the dog was shot by a hunter. The dog has a history of getting loose by way of the owners negligence.. for all we know some pissed-off neighbor could have shot it and then dragged it out into the woods leaving it by a tree stand to make it look like a hunting accident. We just don't know.

You do have to admit that it seems odd. Why would a hunter who shot the dog either accidentally or intentionally and wanted to cover his tracks, leave the corpse right by his tree stand?

But I do know this: if the owner has money to pay for the dog to be studied at universities and various veterinary hospitals for evidence and enough money to offer a $5,000 reward they certainly had enough money for a goddamn leash.

If you don't know what you're shooting at, don't shoot. Durr. That is a needless mistake made by yahoo retards who have no business in the woods, hunting, or really even breathing. The coyote aint about to shoot back. It's not f***ing war, there is no HAVING to decide whether or not to shoot at something you cannot identify. This goes beyond just killing dogs... it's good life advice on how not to be stupid.

Mike

 

[n1oty]

I bet $100 the DNA forensics exam shows no human flesh on this pups teeth.

Again, more speculation. Let's wait to see how deeply the vet the family retained digs into this. In the end, it all comes down to how much they are willing to spend or the vet is willing to do for free.

 

[bostonasphalt2]

If the leash law had been respected the dog would still be alive. We will never know what kind of trouble the dog was causing. Running deer, going after another dog who was on a leash or a hunting dog, threatening a walker, a hunter.....

oh good, the victim blaming patrol is here!

 

[n1oty]

Never ever let your dog run loose....EVER.

Nothing but bad things will happen.

Try telling your 8 and 11 year old that their GSD was hit and killed by a car right before Christmas.

I did.

Well, I wanted to click the "like" button, but that seemed to be crass on my part, like I was liking the fact your dog died. Obviously not true, so it is better for me to say I understand your post and where you are coming from.

 

[rwl1955]

There are no FACTS to this case except the dog was loose and running around in the woods and someone shot it. The stick in the mouth comes from the owners who found the dog, everything else is speculation. Hopefully the perp will be outed and we get a reason for the killing.

Years ago a jogger was running on the sidewalk in Pepperall and a dog came flying out of a backyard at the jogger. He jumped into the street to avoid the charging dog and was killed by a passing car. 15 years ago I was running in Lancaster along Rt.117 and same thing happened, passes the house and dog came out of backyard behind me. It was running up behind me at a 45 deg angle and I saw it at the last second, it was aiming at my legs. I moved out of the way, bounced off a passing car and went down. Dog went back onto it's property and just looked at me. Driver stopped, helped me up, owner was lucky I wasn't carrying.

 

[bostonasphalt2]

A dog lose in the woods could easily be mistaken for a coyote. And it's open season on coyote with no bag limit. So - it just as easily could have been an accident. When the hunter realized it and didn't feel like losing his LTC and gun collection, he could have decided to just say - I'm all set with that noise.

The only fact we know for sure is that the owner was irresponsible.

When it comes to dogs, if it's not under your control, then it's your fault. Period. Everything else is just noise, nonsense, and an excuse. It belongs in the 2nd stall from the left.

lol, no. If you do not know what is running, you don't shoot at it. You shoot once you've identified what you are shooting at. So no, "mistaking it for a coyote" is victim blaming and a bullshit cop out to try and justify your position.