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Horrifying. Isn't it time that we put more punishment into such crimes??? Anyone who does this to poor, innocent animals is only a hair's breadth from doing it to people!

How disgusting!! What kind of person would shoot beloved pets just to do something? As a pet owner myself, my pets are members of our family and I would be heart-broken if one of them would be killed in this manner. My thoughts go out to the families who are grieving their beloved pets.

This is what happens when any idiot can possess firearms. If only these animals had a gun to protect themselves from these obvious disturbed people who chose to kill someone else's pet family member. Gotta have those guns after all it is anyone's right to shoot any thing. I know, those pets were a danger to that individual and they had to shoot the pet to protect themselves! Stand that ground!!

I was wondering how long it would take for this story to produce an anti-gun rant. Give me a break.

@ Dave. That was not an anti-gun rant, it was someone espressing outrage at the misuse of firearms. Big difference. Do NOT make it into a debate it isn't.

Mr. Urlaub,
And I was wondering when someone on the gun rights side would try to deflect the obvious. As Ms. Carmen mentioned above that someone who would seek to injured or kill someone's pet is a danger to society. I heard on the radio this morning there have been 3 such incidents with the dogs being shot multiple times. I mistakenly thought they were killed but fortunately not yet.
It is a culture in this country that celebrates guns and the easy access to these deadly weapons that is the problem. With the "shall issue" gun permits in place, local sheriffs do not have any choice but to issue gun permits unless you are a convicted felon or certified mentally ill. It is not bats or hammers that has been used, it is some disturbed person or persons getting their kicks from shooting pets and if you can not rationally understand that putting guns in the hands of unstable people is the problem, then I question your ability to reason and compassion for our dear pets and our society as a whole.

The issue here is not and has never been a gun issue. This is a mental health issue. Having been in health care for 11 years now i've seen this hundreds of times. This country is at a crossroads/crisis between gun owners/gun haters. Until anyone in Washington has the guts to address the horrific mental health care in this country this will never change. Do we need 30 round magazines and AR-15's for the general public? No, but what good do more laws and regulations serve. Look at Chicago with its strict gun laws. It's gun related crime is the highest in the nation. The people killing these animals have mental health diagnosis that either have or have not been addressed; pick up a DSM-V Diagnostic Criteria from the American Psychiatric Assosiation and peruse for some interesting reading. We as a nation need to stand up and make Washington address the issue at hand; Mental Health, not guns. Guns are the means to an end and making new laws and regulations won't change anything. The problem is no one has the solution or the money to fix the mental health of this nation, so our rights and liberties as Americans will be taken from us! It's easier to do that than fix the problem!

Rosemary, If the owner had a gun, like Joe Biden said yesterday, "A 2 barrell shotgun" it would have been handy to scare off whoever it was...That's why pet owners should carry guns, to protect their property and their PETS!

When have the authorities ever addressed any concerns on these issues. I can count on one hands or honesty its a big fat zero!

Shane,

I do not take issue with most of what you said in your response but what I and many others have concerns that not only is there a misunderstanding about the role of mental health in this but the guns rights people, NRA, the American Legislative Exchange Council, (ALEC) etc. that want to expand the availability of guns by first opposing any constructive regulations such as unified background checks, closing the gun show loop-hole and limited the amount of ammunition a person can purchase at one time. With the help of ALEC, the NRA has convinced state legislators to loosen existing laws. Here in Iowa, there is a bill HJ4 as an amendment to the Iowa Constitution that would prohibit even the licensing of gun permits. From the Iowa Legislature’s website:

EXPLANATION This joint resolution proposes an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa providing that the right of an individual to acquire, keep, possess, transport, carry, transfer, and use arms to defend life and liberty and for all other legitimate purposes is fundamental and shall not be infringed upon or denied. Mandatory licensing, registration or special taxation as a condition of the exercise of this right is prohibited, and any other restriction shall be subject to strict scrutiny.


In addition there is a “Stand Your Ground” bill HF 57 or “the shoot first, claim you are in danger, to avoid prosecution bill.” And HF 81 that would prevent the public from knowing who has concealed license permits. These are the bills that I know of and could be more. Incidentally, our own State Representative Pettengill has sponsored all three of these bills. The NRA is quick to say uphold the laws already on the books but they don’t tell the public they are working to expand, eliminate, or water down those very same laws they want upheld.

Obviously, mental health is a large component of all of this but Shane there is also a gun problem. Only fixing mental health will not stop gun violence. What it will take and thankfully we are seeing some movement on this issue is for the public to not accept unfettered access to any guns and ammunition, for anyone is a problem. This will only be solved by a cultural change that stops glorifying guns and a paranoid fear that the government is just waiting for a chance to take away your guns. But in the meantime, the carnage continues and the gun and ammunition manufacturers get richer.


Patti, I was expecting a totally ridiculous comment like you gave. Let's everyone carry guns and have old west shoot outs at nooon. Unbelievable!!

Hey, don't shoot the messenger! Biden is the one that said the shotgun is handy to scare off people! (Google it, it was on NBC last night!)Don't think I said anything about shooting anyone, there you go ASSUMING if we are for guns we are FOR shooting people! Nothing is farther from the truth to 99.999% of the gun owners...they are for responsible behavior, unlike Hollywood's version of gun control!

I read on facebook that someone got a decription of the vehicle from Monday's shooting as a Blue/Teal Ranger or S10 with a topper. Does anyone know if this has been confirmed. I live out in this area and have 3 dogs, hope they find this person quick!

I think we are getting of track. This is about the animals and their rights not about gun laws!!! Let's take that energy and use it to laws for animals and pet owners!

Whoa, Whoa, Whoa! People! You all seemed to have forgotten the original headliner here. Have any of you gave assistance or suggestions to the Benton County Sheriff's Office to resolve this crime at hand? Gunfire around the neighborhood in the past, prior records, purebred breeders. Just to name a few.

Your are correct Leslie, unfortunately the second comment posted has no business bringing gun control, or lack there of to the article. Unfortunately i fell into the trap and posted a comment. My mistake i will not post again.

According to the Sheriff, the first incident was justified. The second incident was with a PELLET GUN, which for the unordained, is not a firearm, it's air powered. So then, how did this turn into a gun control debate?

Jeff, Because it was reported on Vinton Today, 102.9 radio and KCRG that Benton Co. to name a few that residents had to fear 3 pet shootings. Sounds as though the media reported a story with inacurate information frightening people. I will submit if it was truly 3 shootings with firearms in the county, it warranted speaking about guns.

Why does everyone always want to down play the story.. I know for a fact that this is not the only incident of animal shootings/abuse in our county! People are just to damn lazy to do anything about it! Most would rather drive on by! My God. I thought our county was more upstanding then that!

When well trained dogs stay at home, they are safe. When they trespass they enter danger. Keep your dogs home, keep your dogs safe.

I agree Leslie

Also keep in mind Iowa Code 351.27 which states -- It shall be lawful for any person to kill a dog, wearing a collar with a rabies vaccination tag attached, when the dog is caught in the act of chasing, maiming, or killing any domestic animal or fowl, or when such dog is attacking or attempting to bite a person.

This means that no roaming dog has the right to invade personal property and accost another persons animals. Train your dogs, keep your dogs home.

Ann~ Things happen even to the most responsible pet owners. Still gives no one the right to shoot first and ask questions afterwards
If you feel threatened stay inside call the authorities or Witmers Animal Service he would be happy to help!. One day the laws with change and come for those who do this kind of thing, you wait!

Okay, so the law allows an animal to be taken care of (shot) if they are on your property and attacking your animals or your family. So to the anti-gunners here, if my little girls and I are outside in the yard and a dog shows up that is clearly intending to harm them and I cannot get them safely to the house, I should run in my house and hide instead of pulling out my gun and shooting the dog? This is assuming of course the dog doesn't run away when using non-injuring methods to go away (yelling at it to get out,etc).
Sorry, but if there's a dog heading towards my kids and I can't get it away from them and I have a gun on me, I will shoot the dog before it hurts my kids.

Now, to the actual article. Did ya'll going on your anti-gun diatribes miss the part that said it was a PELLET gun? We're not talking a semi-auto, a shotgun, or an automatic weapon here. And, the first shooting apparently was in defense of that persons property. Read the article, read the facts of the case, and then base your comments off that please.
If the person going around shooting dogs really wanted to harm them, taking away his pellet gun isn't going to help. There are many forms of cruelty and taking away guns just isn't going to stop it. Look at Chicago, and D.C. The biggest gun control laws and the highest gun crime rates. Think about it. You take away guns from the lawful and only the criminals are left because they don't care one bit about the law.

Bethany,
A couple of things. As I responded to Jeff Tilson yesterday the first reports on Vinton Today(Monday night) 102.9 radio (Tuesday morning on my way to work) and KCRG
http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Three-Dogs-shot-in-past-two-weeks-in-Benton-County-191913471.html

Stated very clearly that this was 3 incidents of dog shootings, not with a pellet gun, but by a gun. The Pellet gun was not known until yesterday evening.
2nd There is a big difference between a dog on someone else's property attacking other animals or persons and driving by, even with a pellet gun, and shooting a dog because it was there. I do not understand that behavior and to dismiss it as "just a pellet gun" diminishes the seriousness of this violent behavior.

Idiots own guns and idiots vote. It's been that way for over 230 years. The idiot you voted for in the Whithouse killed more men, women, and children with drones than idiots with guns.

Rosemary, you made a few unsubstantiated assumptions in your first post as well, i.e. "What kind of person would shoot beloved pets just to do something?" This question presumes that the dogs in question were well cared for and supervised pets that were on their own property, and also presumes the motive of the individual that did this to the dog. Have you considered that a lot of dogs are permitted by their owners to roam the countryside freely, mindless of what the animal is doing when out of sight and out of mind? This was apparently the case with at least one of these incidents. I would submit that a truly responsible owner of a "beloved pet" wouldn't permit their animal to do this. City and County Ordinances make this illegal, and State law provides the remedies available for citizens to not become a victim of others irresponsibility. It may seem harsh, but it is legal, and in the case of peace officers, it is required. Have you considered that dogs are frequently "dumped" in the countryside by owners who are unable, or unwilling to care for them, rather than turning them in to the Animal Shelter? Dogs will survive in the wild by reverting to their instincts for survival, and will eventually become dangerous to people, livestock and other pets when this happens. And, please lets not forget about tangling with wild animals that may be rabid, and spread this disease too. Nothing stated in the original story on KCRG indicated anyone has claimed ownership or responsibility for the dog shown in the story, and no mention was made of it having any tags which would identify who its owner is either. I think we must question whether or not this dog, too, was a really a "beloved pet", or merely another dog left to its own devices in the country. It would serve us all to have a discussion about responsible pet ownership instead of where this conversation has gone, because in the absence of any information the dog was properly tagged and on its owners property, there really is nothing to be gained by discussing gun control.

I am an animal lover and I treat my pets better than some people treat their kids. I understand that there are plenty of people who do not feel the same way. The number of mistreated animals including the incident in Black Hawk County concening a dog this past weekend sickens me. I also know that as you say if dogs are left on their own they learn to survive and I would be extremely upset if one of my pets would be attacked by a roaming wild dog. That is why my pets do not go outside, (cats). What is missing from your comment and from a couple others is that because the one dog was shot by a pellet gun that it somehow was not a serious incident and should be downplayed. I can not understand how anyone could shoot a dog driving by in a pickup. That dog, no matter how unsupervised did not deserve that. You say this has nothing to do with the gun debate and I beg to differ. In one of my the responses, I talked about the gun culture that exists today and of course I can not know what was that person thinking when they shot that dog, but it is indictive of a society that gloriies shooting of any kind. And as a public safety officer yourself, I would think that you would understand that everyone having guns whether they are capable of using them properly or not can result in serious consequences. Just because we live in an area where gun violence does not happen often, thank God, does not mean that there is not a problem in other parts of the country. Also the Stand your Ground law is also something I would hope you would not support as a peace officer. These issues are interlinked and ignoring that fact does not mean it is not real. If that person with the pellet gun has so little regard for an animal, what does that say about the future of that individual and the possiblilty that you as a law officer, may have to deal with that person again in another violent act later on. Ms Carman in the first response said it well.

In reference to the first incidence that is considered closed where the dog was chasing the cat. Do we know for sure that the cat wasn't in the dog's yard first. We have cats wondering in our yard all the time.
As far as the second incident, it is being said many times this dog was very close to his/her yard and by the road, and was wearing a collar. The dog was not in someone else's yard. And this is not an isolated incident in this area. Yes, pet owners need to be aware of where their pets are at all times. But, it surely does not justify someone shooting dogs even with a pellet gun. I understand Iowa code as it stands, however, changes need to be made.

in response to "Jeff". I disagree with your answer that dogs can adapt to the wild. The answer is not for long. I live in the country and have witness first hand a starving dog needing my help. Unless the dog is acting rabied, there is no need to kill them, rather they need our help. Yes, dogs are dumped all the time. Society has created this mess, it is our job to fix it.

Leslie - My outside animals will be protected to the best of my abilities. There is no one but me to protect them, and by the time officials would show up, they would be dead. I have already had dead and mauled cats from roaming dogs. I will protect them, end of story!

If you would have listened to the attending vet he was not sure if it was a pellet gun or. 22 caliber. This would have went totally unnoticed if channel 9 had not gotten the story. And they got it straight from the person that was actually there. Facts are facts.

And to add to my last Comment. This dog is very loved by his family. Had a collar on and even has a name. Griff! Thank goodness he's home. This was a useless shooting anyway you look at it. Who's dog is next? If anyone else saw the truck please contact the Sherriff dept...lets take a stand and have a voice for our beloved pets!

@Sue the description of the truck (Teal/blue s-ten/ranger with a matching topper) is correct but there is no way of knowing for sure if that person was helping or harming Griff. To clear up the confusion there have in fact been THREE dogs shot, KCRG had the story CORRECT. There were two incidence and THREE dogs shot. I have talked to an employee at the Vinton Veterinary hospital and they have not removed any pellets/bullets so it is not certain which weapon almost took Griff's life. This brings me to my next point with Griff's case if it was a pellet gun that nearly took his life someone had to be at very close range to loge a pellet into his SKULL so I doubt whoever shot Griff was very afraid of him. Griff is a very loved family dog. His family was devastated that someone could do this to this to him. Griff is one of the sweetest dogs I have ever been around. Griff was very close to his home when he was found and did in fact have a collar on, Griff's owner was by his side in minutes when he found out what happened. With the first indecent were TWO dogs were shot, it was "legally" justified but I'm not sure how, as someone said in a previous comment who knows if the cats were on the dogs property first and the dog wasn't just doing it's "job" as a farm dog and chasing off another animal invading its families "property". There is no way of being certain of that, its hearsay. What I cannot wrap my head around is the fact that a neighbor can shoot another neighbors pet and be okay with it, why not call the neighbor and discuss a solution instead of just shooting. I know of a lot of dogs that chase cats and a lot of the time they do not harm the cats. None of these THREE dogs that were shot were vicious, wild or mean dogs, I know all three of them and they are all very loved family dogs.
Lastly I would like to respond to Ann Clark by saying that a dog is an Animal, I don't care how trained or well behaved your dog is, things happen a dog will be a dog no matter what you say they are still an animal. Just like someones child you can raise your child to be good but there is no way of stopping them from misbehaving if they so choose.

Thank you Devon and Denise, I know you both care deeply about animals. Glad that you gave vital information about these events. Those of us who care about our pets are deeply disturbed by these recent events. Hopefully all of attention will bring to light a better solution to some of these problems and the "shoot first" mentality will change.Thank you.

Leslie - the last time I shot at a dog was about 2 weeks ago. I came home from work to find 2 yellow labs in my driveway. I stopped in the road and got my mail from my car. The dogs ran up and were pawing at the car, leaving muddy foot prints. I drove to the garage and opened the garage with the garage door opener in my car. Both dogs ran into my garage, sniffed around, I think they marked (peed on) the grill. I couldn't close the garage door because they were in there. When I got out of my car and tried to go into the house, they almost knocked me down trying to push their way into the house!! I went in and got my 22 pistol. I went out the front door and they tried to knock me down again. I yelled at them and fired 8 rounds into the air to try to get them to leave, then I "winged" one, heard it yelp and they went home. I had one cat in the top of a pine tree that did not come down until the next morning, one cat that had climbed the trellis by the garage and was on the house roof, and 3 cats that I could not find. I called the neighbor who I believe owned the dogs and left him a voice mail detailing as I have above. He called back later to let me know that I had indeed shot his son's dog. There was no apology for the actions of his dogs, only recriminations for me that I had shot. I did my best to run the dogs off and they did not go. The law gives me the right to defend my property and my animals.

I accept the risk of living in the country. I have had many cats that just disappeared, probably caught by dogs, coyotes, eagles, owls, run over by cars or whatever. I accept the risk that comes with the lifestyle I have chosen. However, I will defend what is mine on my property. My neighbor says he has seen my cats at his place, and I told him if they are chasing his dogs or his cattle, he has the right to shoot them, I understand the law. I also know that I have seen my cats come across the field carrying mice and rats from his place, so it would seem that they are actually doing him a service.

Dogs can be trained, if the owner chooses the put in the time to do so, that is their nature. Cats can not be trained, and that is their nature too. I choose to favor cats, and have accepted the risks that come with their nature. Dog owners are not immune to the risks of country living either, and when they don't acknowledge those risks and take proper steps to counteract those risks, it creates hard feelings.

Dog owners who do not take proper steps to train their dogs and keep them home will always run the risk of those dogs never coming back home.

to Ann - It is really unbelievable and basically appalling to hear you say that you shot at 2 yellow labs. One of the most harmless dog breeds. Labradors love people, did you not realize they were coming over to say “hello”. Every Lab I know is a happy go lucky type. Yes, my labs bark when there is a car stopping. But once you do stop they will love you up. As far as your cats, most cats are killed or hurt by hawks or owls. I have seen first hand an owl chasing a cat.

Sue - The Black Lab that maimed and killed my cat Jolsen several years ago was not friendly. He came trotting up the snowy driveway when I came home from work. I followed his tracks to the back yard where I found my cat, who died a few hours later in my arms. I called all the surrounding neighbors to let them know if the incident and to let them know that I will shoot any unattended dog who enters my property and chases my cats. All the neighbors swore that it was not their dog. I did kill that dog later that summer, again chasing my cats. Do not speak to me of the kindness of dogs, I have had to deal with their bloody aftermath.

Ann - I did not hear you say you witnessed the dog killing the cat, only tracks leading back to the cat. How do you know it was the dog? Can you say 100% you saw the dog kill your cats. Or are You just speculating. If I missed that you witnessed this my apology. Could have been a hawk or owl, any wildlife animal for that matter.
Hawks and owls can pick a cat off and see their prey up to a mile away.
Why not called animal control and have the dog removed. Almost sounds like you have a vendetta againist dogs and an excuse to shoot them plain and simple. Sad to read that you preceive shooting dogs as ok.

That dog's tracks lead directly back to the back yard where Jolsen was gasping. That dog killed Jolsen, and came back later in the summer to try for another cat. It killed Jolsen, I killed it.