Gentle German Shepherds killed; owners say they were shot by hunters

[Kittilicious]

They were going to be Therapy Dogs - Mesabi Daily News: News: therapy dogs, sheriff s department, hunters,

Makes me sick.

IRON - Devaki and Makita had already provided a lot of caring and joy in their first 1 1/2 years. They were "gentle dogs" adored by their human family members.

And they had a lot more love to give. They were being trained as therapy dogs to help comfort the afflicted.

But on Saturday the sister German Shepherds were shot and killed in a deliberate and cruel way in an open field in Iron by deer hunters, believe their owners.

"The dogs were so amazingly beautiful. They had a huge future ahead of them ... of giving to people and helping people. Now they're gone," said Shannon Hautala, one of the dogs' owners.

As daylight gave way to dusk Saturday afternoon, Hautala and her friend, Gary Kuoppala, were outside at his Iron residence, which is rural but not remote or desolate, about one-eighth mile from Highway 7 and bordering Keenan Road. It is where therapy horses call home.

Devaki and Makita were playing in the yard when they decided to explore. Hautala and Kuoppala followed, hollering their names. Then they heard at least five ominous sounds.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang ... there were at least five shots," Hautala recalled. They were only about 150 yards from Kuoppala's property.

They kept looking for the dogs and calling their names, hoping for the best. They ran into the hunters who owned the land where the dogs had ran toward.

"They said they hadn't seen any dogs," Hautala said.

After an uneasy night, Hautala, with her 16-year-old daughter Alexis, and Kuoppala resumed their search for Devaki and Makita. They met the hunters before finding the dogs.

One of them asked what she was doing there. "I'm looking for my dogs," I said. "A hunter said he hadn't seen any."

Within a minute Hautala and Alexis found Makita, lying next to a deer stand in the bushes. They pulled Makita out.

"Didn't see my dog, right?" Hautala said to the hunters. "They walked away and all three were smiling. Me and my daughter were pretty hysterical. They walked around us and called us hillbillies."

Devaki was found about 30 minutes later.

"There was a huge pile of blood from the trail. She had tried to crawl back home. She may have suffered all night," Hautala said. "My daughter was bawling and dragging Devaki. They just laughed and said, ‘You found your dogs, now get the f___ off our property.'"

Kuoppala soon showed up. He had been looking for the dogs elsewhere.

"They just looked down at the ground. Big men with two women, but not when a man was around," he said.

Hautala and Kuoppala have contacted the Sheriff's Department and Department of Natural Resources to provide a report of what had happened. They have photos of the German Shepherds with their deadly gunshot wounds. Devaki's chest was pulverized, with at least three shots. Makita was shot in the leg and chest.

Kouppala has a 5-year-old son, Tristin, who often slept with the dogs. On Monday he would have to tell the youngster why the two dogs won't be coming home.

"It all was so uncaring and callous," Kouppala said.

"I told them (the hunters) that these are family dogs and what am I going to say to the kids? One of them said, ‘That's not my problem.' Don't they have a soul?" Hautala said.

[Kayos and Havoc]

Very sad and these people must be devastated!!

But I must ask, why were the dogs off thier property in hunting season?

[crackem]

probably best not to let your dogs run loose on other people's property while there is a hunting season going on.

That said, I would never shoot someone else's dog unless someone other than myself was getting mauled, but some people just need a target, and will shoot when one is available. Best not to trust people like that to do the right thing

[Stevenzachsmom]

I agree that the dogs should never have been allowed to wander onto someone else's property. That said - what kind of heartless people are these hunters? They sound like real low-lives. What a shame. Best not to let any kids wander over there either. Doesn't seem those guys are playing with a full deck.

[Kittilicious]

Usually around here (this happened in MN, where I live) during this time of year (hunting season) people in the country will have their dogs wear orange vests/sweaters or I've heard of people spray painting orange on their dogs.

I do agree that the dogs shouldn't have been wandering... especially during deer season (it's common sense!), but these hunters - I just want to beat them for being buttheads about it.

[selzer]

Hunters will shoot dogs running deer. Dog owners need to protect their dogs. The dogs were loose and off their property. It is sad that this happened. But your dog should not be off your property, out of your sight, and out of your control.

That said, most hunters own dogs and really need a reason to shoot one, and do not do it happily.

What I find hard to understand is why the deer stand would be 150 feet from the dog-owner's property. That sounds like they are setting up deer stands really close to dwellings. Does not make a lot of sense. But whatever. If this happened the way they said, then these people wouldn't be very likely to care how near someone's house they were.

However the story really sounds writtten to jerk the tears out of people. They were being trained to be therapy dogs -- they had so much more to give. My son usually sleeps with them, my daughter was dragging the dog and crying. They called us hillbillies, get the **** off my property. She and her husband were there, two dogs, how come the daughter had to drag the dog away?

I know I am pretty callous. But people should not let their dogs roam over other people's property at any time, and particularly when there are a lot of city people running around with guns in the woods, looking for anything to shoot at.

When owners are ignorant, dogs suffer, and it is sad. These people failed their dogs.

[Stevenzachsmom]

Originally Posted by Kittilicious

Usually around here (this happened in MN, where I live) during this time of year (hunting season) people in the country will have their dogs wear orange vests/sweaters or I've heard of people spray painting orange on their dogs.

I do agree that the dogs shouldn't have been wandering... especially during deer season (it's common sense!), but these hunters - I just want to beat them for being buttheads about it.

Agreed! I would feel horrible if I killed someone's pet - even if it was an accident. Somehow, this doesn't sound like an accident. I am so sorry for this family.

[ChristenHolden]

I would soooo be in. Jail if that happend to me. More and likely with out bond BC I would make those (censored)suffer!!!!!

[Kittilicious]

Originally Posted by selzer

What I find hard to understand is why the deer stand would be 150 feet from the dog-owner's property. That sounds like they are setting up deer stands really close to dwellings. Does not make a lot of sense. But whatever. If this happened the way they said, then these people wouldn't be very likely to care how near someone's house they were.

Where this is located it is very isolated. Your nearest neighbor is maybe probably, at the very least, a mile away. So to say the stand was near the property line doesn't say a whole lot. Any sort of house or shed could still be 1/2 mile away from the stand. People in that area usually own 40-100 acres of property or more.

[LARHAGE]

I know dogs shouldn't roam loose, but they were near their house and just explored, they are dogs and dogs do that, the point is MOST decent people don't shoot a dog for being on their property, I always try to find a dogs owner that wanders on my property and I have livestock, it is just the ugly, cruel nature of these a-holes, I hope to God a deer jams their antlers through their black hearts or a car accident leaves them mangled and suffering, filth like these men don't deserve to breath the air we share as decent, copmpassionate people, I can't wait till the day their hideous souls rot in ****!!!!