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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.