A rural Lyon County man said he has shot five dogs during the past week, and he’s not happy about it.
“I hate to shoot ’em, too, but what do you do?” he said.
The man, who will not be identified, said that in recent weeks he has noticed a significant increase in the number of stray dogs prowling in his rural neighborhood.
“Dog food’s getting high ... and they’re not going to be able to feed ’em so they bring them out to the country and they dump them out,” he said.
“These three that we just got rid of were just as wild as can be. You couldn’t even get close to them. They’ve been shot at and ran around. They just are scared to death and they don’t have nothing to eat.”
After talking with others in the area, the man learned that a neighbor had seen the animals on his property, trying to find food around his cattle.
“They were eating minerals out of that mineral feeder,” the man said. “They were that hungry. ... It’s just one of them deals, sooner or later they’re going to be skin and bones.”
Stray dogs also chase the cattle and other livestock, creating the risk of injury or, at a minimum, weight loss on animals that cost money to fatten.
The man has nothing against dogs. He and his family have a small house dog that sometimes accompanies him in the tractor cab as he works the fields. That pet was one of the reasons he shot the three dogs on Sunday.
They were large and unfriendly, and one growled menacingly. The man was fearful of allowing his daughter out to play in the yard, and wouldn’t allow their pet to go outside, either.
“If something happened to her that little girl would be heartbroke to death,” he said.
He was angry at the pet owners who dump out dogs and cats without regard to their futures.
“I just hate it,” he said. “Take care of them or take them and have them done away with, you know? ... It’s gonna get worse. I know it is.”
MiChielle Cooper, director of the H. Dale Buck Fund, agreed with the man about people who dump pets though she took adamant exception to the way he solved the problem.
“There’s absolutely no excuse for it, not when we have a taxpayer-supported shelter,” Cooper said.
“(The discarded pets) are either going to become wild animal bait or die a horrible death of starvation or dehydration. I just can’t imagine what people are thinking of. Sometimes you just want to give them the V8 thump right in the middle of their forehead.”
The city and the county both have animal control officers to pick up stray animals and bring them to the city shelter, 1216 Hatcher St., or to the Emporia Veterinary Hospital at 710 Anderson St., she said.
“That at least gets them picked up, de-wormed, food, shelter, gets ’em vaccinations, and then Peggy at the shelter always calls us,” Cooper said.
The Buck Fund volunteers and shelter manager Peggy Derrick work together as they try to find foster or permanent homes for animals brought to the shelter or picked up by animal control officers.
Local volunteers have connections with animal-rescue organizations in a five-state area, and keep in regular touch by sending photos of animals in the local shelter to see if there is a demand for that animal in another area, or at least a foster home willing to keep an animal temporarily. All of those organizations abide by state regulations for animal health, are licensed to operate, and verified as non-profit.
“Now that we have got transportation connections, it’s just a huge network of volunteers,” she said.
And more volunteers are needed. Though the number of foster homes for pets has risen, more are needed to take care of the animals when permanent homes are not found readily.
A volunteer is needed to coordinate e-mailing out photos of available animals at the shelter and in foster homes, and to stop in at the shelter to get to know them and their habits, such as aggression issues, illnesses and other idiosyncrasies. The computer work could be done at home, and the brief time spent at the shelter is pleasant.
“You’re not the one cleaning out the pens and maybe seeing them going back to the euthanasia room,” she said.
Cooper encouraged potential volunteers to talk with Derrick to see if they could help at the animal shelter.
Donations and memorial donations also are needed to help finance the medical treatments, food, and other needs of the animals because of the dramatic increase in numbers during the past few years.
“In 2007, we handled a total of 217 animals,” Cooper said, “and 56 of those came from the animal shelter. Already we’re over 220 animals and 103 of them came from the Emporia Animal Shelter.”
The Buck Fund also has more than doubled its spending in the budget area that eventually could be the solution to the problem of unwanted pets: spaying and neutering.
Spending went from $30,000 in 2006 to $64,000 for the Fund’s spay-neuter program.
“I fully expect 2008 to be well over that, just with what we’ve got incoming,” Cooper said.
Grants and donations have helped defray the costs of the surgeries that cost approximately $100 to $130 to perform.
Cooper believes it could be helpful for the city to raise its licensing fee for unspayed and unneutered pets to help finance expenses associated with unwanted pets.
“It would be a huge revenue producer for the city, and maybe they would eventually be able to funnel that money into a spay-neuter room at the animal shelter,” Cooper said.
Comments
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Posted by slipandslide (anonymous) on July 17, 2008 at 1:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
this is sad, animals are great additions to homes and dont cost much
Posted by Cactusflower (anonymous) on July 17, 2008 at 1:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It's so sad, humans need to be more responsible when considering a pet.
Posted by emporialifer (anonymous) on July 17, 2008 at 1:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If someone wanted to volunteer, what phone number should they call to get a hold of Peggy Derrick or someone to discuss volunteer opportunities?
Posted by batbatly (anonymous) on July 17, 2008 at 2:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey sux, who are you to come on here and question anyone else's ethics when you yourself have no problem slamming the paper and its reporters mercilessly, all from the anonymity of your computer screen. Perhaps before the Gazette publishes the name of its anonymous source for this story, you should out yourself first. Then we might all know the name behind the big words you throw about from the safety of your keyboard.
Posted by equalrights (anonymous) on July 17, 2008 at 2:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
wow.
Posted by madpoet (anonymous) on July 17, 2008 at 3:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I feel for the man in the story; we've been in the same situation before. Sometimes the dogs CAN'T be caught then you have no choice but put them down before they starve or attack a child or another animal. Feral dogs and cats carry disease to pets too. We had a black Lab that we found on the road. She was a bag of bones eating roadkill. We almost hit her on the dark road then stopped and went back. We dropped the tailgate and she hopped right in. It took weeks of care to get her back to a normal weight and I believe it shortened her lifespan to be starved like that as a young dog. She was the best pet, though. If we hadn't come along she would have died a slow death of starvation. PLEASE if you can't take care of your pet have the decency to take it to the vet or shelter and give it a fighting chance to find a new home. Dumping a dog (or cat) out in the country just causes misery for the animal and people who live out there.
Posted by jayhawker (anonymous) on July 17, 2008 at 3:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)
God gave us dominion over the animals. With every privilege or right comes a corresponding duty, in all things. There is a reason that dogs are called man's best friend. We owe to them a duty of care in return for the unconditional love and joy that they give to us.
Posted by Merry_Carol (anonymous) on July 17, 2008 at 3:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What a funny comment for gayzettesux to make, when he himself is using an anonymous handle so he can say what he says without being recognized. Sort of dark humor, huh?
Posted by MelissaGarrison (anonymous) on July 17, 2008 at 4:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
go batbatly! lol
Posted by alfalfa (anonymous) on July 17, 2008 at 4:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Almost every dog I have ever had since I was a small child has been a stray someone dumped. If we would have kept every dog ever dumped we would have ended up with 50-60 dogs. Yup, I too have shot strays, I would have much rather thumped the person who dumped them. It isn't just dogs either, bunches of cats get dumped as well. The worst was when someone dumped 5 kittens next to the road, they must have been there several days when I found them, all but 2 had died, and those two were barely alive, took them home and saved one.
Having said that, my experience with the Buck fund is they put animals on par with people, and make adopting them for many nearly impossible. I have total empathy for the fellow who shot those dogs, speaking from experience it makes you sick to your stomach.
Posted by railroadhorn (anonymous) on July 17, 2008 at 5 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't know of many newspapers who would publish this without identifying the source. That's disappointing and the paper would have to give him/her up anyway if pressed by police. I hope that's happened. Especially after the Arndt shooting - I don't want an anti-dog maniac in my county. Please prosecute this guy or get him to stop shooting his weapon. What a dork! and double dork to the Gazette.
Posted by apsuz (anonymous) on July 17, 2008 at 5:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"The city and the county both have animal control officers to pick up stray animals and bring them to the city shelter, 1216 Hatcher St., or to the Emporia Veterinary Hospital at 710 Anderson St., she said."
Ok, maybe I'm missing something here, but haven't there been a lot of comments lately on the lack of animal control officers to pick up strays, and it's not considered a priority unless the animal is threatening someone? Seems a little fishy to me that after all of those comments, all of a sudden they post this quote. I am an animal lover, but I very much understand the toll these animals can take on a farmer. And I would rather see them put down like anonymous is doing, than see them starve to death. It is very unfortunate that there are so many irresponsible pet owners. Please, if you own a pet, get it spayed/neutered and if you come into a situation that you can't take care of it, find someone that will or take it to one of the shelters instead of just dumping it on some country road.
Posted by jayhawker (anonymous) on July 17, 2008 at 6:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
railroadhorn: What is this about prosecuting this man? For what? You want him to stop shooting his gun, yet you know that shooting is legal, don't you? I don't understand what you are trying to say.
Posted by hottopics (anonymous) on July 17, 2008 at 6:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Its a problem that this city and county cant get a handle on. They need to find the funds to ensure more humane treatment to unwanted animals and push the spay, neuter more.
There are ways and willing people to raise money to help get this under control. Volunteering is a great idea. Was it not that long ago that the shelter pushed out them when they wanted to come spend time with the animals and help out??
Posted by toninj (anonymous) on July 17, 2008 at 7:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
railroadhorn: This man has done nothing illegal; my guess is that he would like to remain anonymous because of people like you that are passing such harsh judgment. If you read the full article you would see he has nothing against dogs.
I can tell you that if it came down to the safety of my child or those stray dogs that are going to die anyway, I would do the same thing and I too like dogs. This has nothing to do with the Arndt tragedy and what a distasteful comparison. If you need to get angry, it should be with those dumping the dogs.
Posted by lawman (anonymous) on July 17, 2008 at 7:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Thanks, toninj, my thoughts exactly.
Posted by ksfarmer (anonymous) on July 17, 2008 at 8:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Maybe the Gazette will reprint this article in the spanish paper, La Voz or whatever it is.
Posted by Penny (anonymous) on July 18, 2008 at 9:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I grew up in the country though not around here, and stupid people dumping strays was a problem then as well. Why do people think it's OK to do that? I don't get it!
I remember my mother shooting a stray dog once that we were unable to catch and that was slowly starving. As it got skinnier it also got bolder about trying to get the chickens and the cats. I also remember that after she shot it she buried it and cried the whole time.
I hope that by printing this article, the Gazette has gotten through to an idiot somewhere who is considering dumping an unwanted animal. Please dump it at the shelter, it is so much more humane!
Posted by madpoet (anonymous) on July 18, 2008 at 9:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It's legal to shoot an animal that is threatening you or your livestock or pets. It is also legal to shoot a gun outside of city limits. 99% of gun owners are responsible and are careful at placing shots. Bringing up the Arndt tragedy is in very poor taste. There is no comparision to the two situations.
Posted by OutsiderJ (anonymous) on July 18, 2008 at 9:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This may be a first (Haha)
I agree completely with jayhawker. If you have a pet you better feed and take care of it. It is a responsibility. If someone can't live up to that responsibility then that person needs to find a suitable alternative to having a pet.
On a personal note. I would love to take someone who abandons their dog in the country somewhere remote and drop them off. Let them spend 5 or 6 days trying to figure where to go and what to do. If they made to civilization, fine. If not, I like to think I would feel bad about it, but can't say for sure.
Posted by ksflwrpetals (anonymous) on July 18, 2008 at 10:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't blame the gentleman one bit for the action he took. The blame lays with the irresponsible pet owners that left their animals to die by starvation or wild animal. We have the same problem in the small town where I live. The bigger problem is with the animal control and the sheriff depts. We have a contract with the Lyon County sheriff and animal control offices, a contract where they get paid to service this community. They often refuse to come, and if you don't have the animal contained, they also will not come. They refused to honor the contract on so many occasions that the city council had to take action against them. Don't blame the man or the Gazette. It is the pet owners causing the problem. (and yes, I have two rescue pets that I adore)
Posted by OutsiderJ (anonymous) on July 18, 2008 at 10:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I would be interested to know what became of the carcasses (sp?) of the animals. I hope he did not leave them where they lay. He might attract bigger and more viscious wild animals that way.
Posted by photobuggy2 (anonymous) on July 18, 2008 at 11:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'd rather see a dog shot, its quick and humane. Its cruel and irresponsible to dump and animal, not to mention dangerous.
When my mother lived in the countty she had several cats that she took care of. Unfortunately at that time there were several dogs that had been left to run free, we found one cat torn to bits. That was just one of many killings the dogs did. Killing of other pets was bad enough, thank the good Lord they didn't get ahold of a child. They had to shoot those dogs too. How would you like to come upon your child or pet like that?
I can't blame the man for keeping his name out of it either. I could just imagine all the hate calls, vandalism etc.
Posted by slipandslide (anonymous) on July 18, 2008 at 11:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
emporialifer heres a link for the animal shelter, it has a phone number and email address at the bottom of the page. i m going to donate to them. http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/KS100....
Posted by USNretired (anonymous) on July 18, 2008 at 11:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Shooting those feral animals was probably not something he enjoyed doing, but it sounds like he did the right thing. Since a lot of the ex Tyson employees stuck around till school got out before selling houses or moving, a surge is to be expected. The real problem is un fixed animals. It is expensive to own a pet these days, but populations increase exponentially if not controlled. I hate Government intervention unless absolutely warranted, but maybe mandatory sterilization of all companion animals (How could you enforce such a thing when you can't control drug smuggling or people smuggling?) would be the only way to control populations. Pet owners who abdicate their responsibilities are the real problem, but in a world of "blame anybody but myself", how can we realistically get a handle on this. As with most issues, this is a people problem.
Posted by laughoutloud (anonymous) on July 18, 2008 at 12:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Its not like the guy went out and looked for stray dogs on the road! They were in his yard for pete's sake!! What if one of those stray dogs who he described as "growled menacingly" would have attacked his daughter??
Posted by esu42 (anonymous) on July 18, 2008 at 1:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I wish he had at least talked to animal control before taking that action; I understand that he felt it was necessary, but a dumped dog is not an irredeemable dog. My sister has a lovely dog who had been dumped out in the country- when she found it, the dog was terrified, ragged, and starved, but she's turned into a treasured companion.
Also, it's unfortunately hard to tell the difference between an abandoned dog and a lost dog. I'm sure the man mentioned in the article would feel terrible if he found out that he'd shot someone's missing family pet.
But the bottom line is that taking stray animals is what the shelter is for. They have experience deciding whether an animal is adoptable or not.
Posted by emporialifer (anonymous) on July 18, 2008 at 2:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Thanks slip - I appreciate it.
Posted by zippy (anonymous) on July 18, 2008 at 3:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I live in the country, three of my four pets are strays that I have acquired and love them to death. There is a limit as to what each person can afford to do.
In Emporia, my mother was chased into her house by a large pit bull. She called the police to have the animal control come get the dog and was told they were not on duty. The dispatcher told her to knock on the dog owner's door and tell them to get their dog. How stupid is that when the dog chased her into her own home!!
My suggestion would be to eliminate resurfacing 6th avenue and pay animal control to work more hours or hire more staff to cover.
Posted by YaHooSis48 (anonymous) on July 19, 2008 at 2:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I would have liked to see the shooter seek counsel from the Sheriff's Dept or from a Vet Clinic to see what recourse was best before he decided to start shooting. It is unclear if the shooter was concerned about a human kill or not. However if he had contacted to proper authorities they could have come out and "if necessary" they could have used tranquilizers to capture the animals and then could have taken them to the animal shelter or the Emporia Vet Clinic. At this point the Buck Animal Fund would have had a chance to perhaps place them with one of many breed rescues which are available. I believe we have a responsibility to manage,protect, and care for the animals. It is not only the mesure of a society at large, it is in deed the measure of a man. The Buck Fund does in deed have paper work. It ensures that the pet and the owner gets the best fit possible. This nasty paperwork also weeds out the people wanting pets for all the wrong reasons. Some are simply not going to be responsible dog owners. I have recently been in a position to see all of the purebreed animals that are being dumped or shuffled into the animal shelter. These animals can be saved. Rescues will take them. After investigating the Buck Fund, I can tell you that they do spend every dollar they get on rescuing animals. So if you want to do a great service for your community and you love animals and want to save animals, please support the H.Dale Buck Animal Welfare Fund. How are you trreating your pets. Take a look. Measure your own heart. Be your own judge!
Posted by slipandslide (anonymous) on July 19, 2008 at 3:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
how am i treating my pets? its hot outside and they are big and black so they are in my air conditioned house until it starts to cool off out. that how im treating my pets. thanks for taking care of dumped animals.
Posted by neighbor (anonymous) on July 20, 2008 at 8:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Are you sure he didn't contact the LYSO YaHooSis? In the country, feral and aggressive animals are dealt with quickly, and effectively. When lives and livestock are threatened, they need put down.
He should have just practiced the three S's, shoot, shovel and shutup. Perhaps the County should send the City a huge bill for dealing with all the unwanted pets and trash being dumped in the county that came from Emporia.
Posted by jayhawker (anonymous) on July 20, 2008 at 10:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
YaHooSis48: What gives you the idea that this man may have been unconcerned about killing a human? That's a zinger from left field. I certainly hope that you are not one of those people who make assumptions like that about anyone who owns a gun. I think that you are being not only unrealistic but totally unfair to this man. Clearly, he was not wanting to hurt these animals. He was put in a situation where he had no good options. As someone who has a very soft spot for animals, I feel sorry for him. The last thing that I would do is criticize a man who was looking out for the welfare of his family by protecting them from a potential danger and was saving the dogs from a slow and terrible death.
Posted by neighbor (anonymous) on July 20, 2008 at 11:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
jayhawk, I do believe an "e" was omitted behind the word human.
Posted by jayhawker (anonymous) on July 20, 2008 at 11:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Thanks, neighbor, I bet that you are right. I sure hope so. Sometimes when I get to rolling I lose track of my spelling, too. If that is what she meant, I retract that portion of my post. I would point out, though, that a well placed shot would be as humane as any method available, including euthanasia drugs.
Posted by YaHooSis48 (anonymous) on July 21, 2008 at 6:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Dear Jayhawker! Sorry about the spelling. The word should be "humane". And, yes, we should be concerned about humans in the area. A whole lot of good ole boys think they are real gunsmen, but really aren't. I would hope there is a solution to the dumping of animals in the county. Maybe we should ask the Lyon County Sheriff Dept if they are at all interested in these poor dumped animals or not???? I would imagine they have "better things" to do. This is also sad.
Posted by jayhawker (anonymous) on July 22, 2008 at 12:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
YaHooSis48: I hope that you will forgive me, but your comments about "good ole boys think they are real gunsmen" indicates that you accept stereotypical caricatures and politically correct notions without the benefit of independent thinking. Perhaps you could define what you mean by "good ole boy" and "gunsmen" in the context of your post. Thankfully, the 2nd Amendment protects gun owners from those who have forgotten our heritage.
Posted by alfalfa (anonymous) on July 22, 2008 at 12:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Right from the beginning this guy made it clear that he did not want to shoot the dogs, and wasn't happy about it, but it was all he could do. The farther you get from Emporia, the slower and less interested the Lyon county Sheriffs department and animal control are about picking up dogs, and yes, the Sheriff and his deputies do have more important things to do than pick up strays, that is a fact. But, when you are right there with the dog(s) and they are causing a problem, you have to do something, especially if they are running cattle or growling at your kids.
I don't know that this is a good solution, but it was my granddads when he was alive, he reasoned the dogs probably were dumped by someone who lived in town, so he simply loaded them up(if they were agreeable) and hauled them back to town, usually they never showed back up.
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