An Open Letter To The Neighbor Who Shot Our Dog
Our poor, sweet dog wandered onto the neighbors property last week and he shot him with a .22. He is going to be alright but will probably not walk on that leg for a long time and will always have a limp. Jack is a 40 pound 3 year old mix of we think Australian Shepard and maybe Jack Russell terrier. He was probably going to say hi to the guy when he was shot.
It was our fault for not staying outside with him while he did his business. We should put a good fence up but we were really being naive to think he would be safe. We live outside of city limits, buried in the middle of a quiet neighborhood on a two acre stretch surrounded by trees and we just never imagined anyone could hurt our pet.
We called the police but all they could do was take a statement and forget it as it’s our responsibility to keep him safe. The law in Oklahoma is that you can shoot anyone or anything on your property that threatens you, but does this law give you the moral right to kill another creature and someone’s pet?
I wrote this letter to the person who shot our dog:
We realize that you shot our dog on Friday, December 14 around 3:30 pm in the afternoon. My husband saw him running from your land. While we acknowledge that the dog should not have been on your land, we also believe that you could have resolved the matter in a more humane manner.
The dog had his collar on and is not aggressive towards anyone. We realize that you have chickens and possibly other animals to care for and our dog may have been disturbing them. Please call us if you ever see any animals that are possibly someone else’s pets on your land and we will gladly take responsibility for the animal. Also, we would pay for any damage caused by one of our animals. We are also missing a few cats – one that was very close to our family for many years and the others were just strays that we recently paid to get fixed and have rabies shots.
The vet says he is going to be okay but still has the bullet in his leg and is not walking on it now. Please choose to handle this problem in a different way going forward. We do not intend this letter to be threatening or offensive and we wish you and your family Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Thank you,
Sharena Beverage
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Ms. Bev, I am really glad your dog is OK. While I guess that you are correct about putting up a fence, that doesn’t give him the right to shoot your dog. If its any consolation I have a wireless fence for my dog but it is to keep him away from the road. I have a major dislike for anyone who would shoot another person’s pet. In our area we frequently have dogs wandering onto our property and when possible we try to detain them and contact their owners, not to be confrontational, but because the road in front of our house is a death trap for pets. You have more patience than I because I would probably be looking for a chance to get even.
I’m sure we can all agree that the Make My Day Laws do not warrant animal cruelty or unprovoked violence. I sent the peaceful letter to show this person that someone cares and is not afraid to speak up. I think society needs to harbor an environment that calls out abuse and cruelty. We might wake up some of these bullies if we don’t stay silent.
My knee jerk reaction was the same as many of my fellow commenters: shoot the prick who did this. Then, I realized how silly that was. You have the right idea, just fence your yard or walk your dog. Avoid the problems. Sorry this happened.
There are few things worse than neighborhood wars. I agree with you, but in the meantime you should build a fence. I liked that you took some personal responsibility.
What a terrible story. Heartbreaking. Sorry, but that would be one unhappy neighbor after I was done, then of course I would build a fence. Fences make for great neighbors.
Of course we were angry when it happened and thought about confrinting him in person or writing a nasty letter but that would probably only irratate him and we really don’t want s war with our neighbor. That would definately insure no peace. And we realize our fault for not keeping Jack contained. But we really think this degree of violence was unwarranted.
This ignorant neighbor probably can’t even read your letter. I am glad the dog is OK.
Yeah, especially since you posted it on that newfangled Internets thingy.
My dog’s name is “Jack,” too. 🙂 I’m glad your Jack will be OK. I would have been nowhere near as polite with the neighbor. In fact, I would have thrown him an old-school style beat down. Law or no law, you don’t shoot people’s animals. That’s no different in my mind from shooting their children.
No. I gotta say, This guy wouldn’t have been much good to his wife, after our little discussion.
I’m with you there David.
Thank you:) He’s a good dog and we’re working on putting a fence up to keep him safe.