No criminal charges in shooting death of GSD

[Dainerra]

The autopsy said that the dog was shot once, back of the head. It's unlikely that the animal took a while to die. I couldn't even count the number of people I know who have shot their dogs/cats/goats/sheep/horses to euthanize them. Sure, there are sometimes misfires, but the same goes for going to the vet to euthanize. There was just a story recently where the guy brought home his dog's body to bury and the next morning she was walking around the garage.
Unless you are purposely trying to cause pain, there is no reason that a shotgun would be any more painful than the needle.

[AbbyK9]

I don't think (and didn't say) that shooting a dog is any more or less cruel than any other form of euthanasia, I am, however, saying that it was not the right thing to do in this case.

If the woman who adopted the dog felt she couldn't handle him or that he was aggressive, he should have gone back to the rescue and the rescue should have decided whether he should have been put down or not. Especially considering these people only had the dog for 48 hours before he bit her. (There seems to be some question as to whether the adoption was final yet or not at the time this happened, too, from what I understand from some of the early articles.)

I think people here failed on a pretty big scale.

As to how humane shooting a dog and cat is - I am with Dainerra. I don't think it's more cruel. I don't think any method is fool proof. There have been reports of various methods failing. It certainly would not be my preferred method. It may be cheaper than taking a cat or dog to the vet to be put down, but it should be a last resort, not a first option. It is messy and heartwrenching and I don't think the last image anyone wants of their furry friend is one with part of its head blown away and blood running across its face. At least that wouldn't be my preference.

(For the record, I *have* done that, when vet was not an option. And I would not do it again unless there was no other option.)

[selzer]

If you are shooting a dog, you will tie it to a tree, and shoot it. It will not yipe and run across the fields as a coyote might that you shoot from a distance.

People are different, raised differently, etc. They view guns differently, some view them as a tool, others view them as evil. Whatever. People who have grown up hunting or farming, and police officers with k9s are going to view this very differently then pet owners who have not these experiences.

Do we want our last vision of a beloved pet and friend to be seeing their brains??? Certainly not. But what if the vet could not squeeze you in until this afternoon, and you last images of your suffering dog goes on for four to six hours after the initial call?

If I could not get my dog to a vet in a timely manner when they are seriously suffering, I would hope that I had the stomach to do the right thing for my buddy, and face seeing an unpleasant moment to alleviate the suffering.

This dog was not physically suffering. These people were not his best buddies for years and years. If the dog bit the woman badly, and they called the rescue to get the dog out of there, and then the dog bit the lady again, also badly, I do not know if they actually did the best thing. Most rescues do not want to deal with dogs with a bite history. Pounds will euthanized them. It sounds like they did not shoot him for revenge or to make him suffer.

I would cut them a break, and put the failure in this case on the shelter/rescue as they either did not disclose pertinent information as to the dogs temperament, or they did not take enough time to evaluate the dog, and or they did not bother to explain to the new owners what to expect.

People hear all the time, "go to a rescue" "puppies are a crap shoot" "with an adult dog you know what you are getting" "rescues can match people up with the dog" "rescue dogs know they are getting a second chance" etc etc etc. I send people to rescues.

I really do not think it is fair to the adopters in this case to have KNOWN that they should be expecting this type of a response from a dog they got from a rescue. Not unless they have spent so many thousand hours blogging on the internet sites for information prior to the fact. We may expect people to do the research etc, but people do not even know that is a consideration.

This is not meant to bash rescues because many of them do an awesome job fostering dogs, testing them, socializing them, and screening people. But there are some places that hide under a rescue umbrella, pull what they consider to be very placeable dogs, incurring very little expense, and selling them to the first people willing to meet the price. By claiming every last thing remotely concerned with their business they can stay out of the profit collumn.