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Bear Bear Shooter Convicted

Of Animal Cruelty and Illegal Gun Discharge

Keith Sheppard, who shot Bear Bear at an off leash dog park was convicted of inflicting unnecessary pain and suffering on an animal and discharging a firearm within 100 yards of an occupied structure.  More details on the trial can be read here.  Television coverage is here. The ruling was made by a judge, not a jury.  Sheppard will not see any jail time.  The court ordered Shepherd to pay $500 in fines and complete 80 hours of community service in the next six months. He also placed Shepherd on one year unsupervised probation. The court ruled that Sheppard overreacted when he shot and killed an off-leash Siberian husky he thought was trying to maul his pet inside the dog park.

The crux of the case at trial was the argument that Shepherd should have done more to separate the two dogs before he resorted to deadly force. The prosecutor argued Sheppard could have kicked Bear-Bear, fired a warning shot or even dropped the leash and run away.

The judge agreed. While having no doubt that Shepherd honestly believed Bear-Bear was trying to kill his dog, Pryal said that was not a "reasonable belief" since no one besides the husky suffered any injuries.

The real key to the case, however, was this reported fact: "Sheppard and his wife walked their newly adopted German Shepherd, Asia, to the dog park about 6 p.m."  Sheppard and his wife were inexperienced dog owners, who entered the dog park with their dog leashed (Not a good idea). Neither the leashed dog nor its owners were experienced enough to distinguish dog play from a dog fight.  Sheppard overreacted and shot the dog, and in my opinion, then made up a story about how the Husky had threatened him to justify what happened. The 911 call makes it clear he was not afraid for his life and he was attempting only to protect his dog which was in no way injured. It makes me question how he would react in a truly dangerous situation as an officer carrying a gun.

The sentence is obviously disappointing, but the owners can at least be consoled by the fact that they got a prosecution.  Not so for the man who shot two great danes in Ocala under even more egregious circumstances.

Animal cruely law penalties must change, and this case illustrates that.

Firu Survives Being Dragged Behind Truck

Photo courtesy of Firu Facebook Site

Firu, an American Bull Dog survived being dragged behind his owners truck on September 17, 2010. He is also, unfortunately, heartworm positive. The facebook page concerning the tragedy is here. The picture section of the page is gruesome so be prepared. The Petition "Justice for Firu" is located here.  The Petition requests that the Charlottee Mecklenburg District Attorney demand the stiffest sentence possible. The facts are reported by the newspaper are located here.  The original story was  thatt he owner claimed to have been drinking. He had tied the dog to the bumper of his truck and then forgot about him....then proceeded to drive home.  However, it appears that the driver of the car continued to drive home after he realized the dog was behind his truck.  From the animal control report: 

THEY ADVISED THEY NEVER NOTICED THE DOG UNTIL A CAR BEHIND THEM STARTED FLASHING THEIR LIGHTS AND THEN THEY REALIZED. THEY ADVISED THEY WERE SCARED SO CONTINUED TO DRIVE ALL THE WAY HOME WHICH IS WHERE THEY BROUGHT THE DOG INSIDE THE HOUSE . THE DOG NEEDS MEDICAL TREATMENT...

Firu was dragged from the house to the store and then back to the house, which amounts to well over .75 of a mile. Firu suffered massive injuries to his entire body. His paws are bloodied, with portions missing. His skin is gone in many areas - there are too many road burns to count.

The Facebook, page, however, suggests that the incident was not an accident.  A new witness has allegedly come forward and stated:

She had to call the police twice to get them to come out. She said that Martinnez and Cerda had their flashers on and were circling the block slowly. She said she followed them around and around the block several times and Firu was screaming the whole time . She said the men would stop and then start again and Firu would try and get up and walk . She said they had to have heard Firu scream, because they were the only 2 cars on the road .She said Firu went limp about 2 blocks before they reached the driveway. She said she even told the officers this was not an accident and she knows they meant to do this . She said they had to have heard his screams.

I'm speechless that such brutality exists in the world, and I urge everyone to call the Charlotte Mecklenburg District Attorney Peter Gilchrist,704-347-7891, 700 E Trade St, Suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28202-3016.  Demand the strictest penalty.

If you are interested in helping Firu recover from his grievous injuries, you can make a donation directly to his vet clinic. The information is as follows:

Animal Hospital of East Burke, Dr. Tom Wallrich, c/o Samantha Hodge, 202 Eldred Street NE, Valdese NC 28690, (828) 874-8387.

I thought I had seen everything, but this is heinous. I will be contributing, you should too.