David Moors, 39, of Beachwood, N.J. has been found guilt of felony aggravated cruelty to animals after he shot and killed a family dog named “Clara” with a bow and arrow — allegedly in front of a little girl from the dog’s family. Moors opted for a non-jury trial, but it did not help. County Judge Donald A. Williams called the act a “reprehensible” crime done with intent and “without justification.” He faces a maximum sentence of up to two years.
The killing occurred in a residential neighborhood when Moors was deer hunting on his sister’s property. Clara was let out when Chris Palinka was cutting wood and asked one of his kids to go inside and retrieve his gloves. Clara ran out and the family says that their 8-year-old daughter witnessed the killing and is haunted by the tragedy. Clara, a shepherd-terrier mix, was a 2 1/2 years old when she was killed.
Moors was also originally charged with hunting deer with bait but that charge was dropped.
In court, Moors claimed that he thought “Clara” was feral and that he was therefore justified in killing her. However, the family said that Clara was only outside for nine minutes when Moors killed her and that when he argued with her owners after the killing he insisted that the dog was killed as a trespasser on his sister’s property and “shouldn’t be running loose.”
The Court rejected the feral claim and said that it “has an unwavering belief that the intentional act of killing a dog in the manner that this death occurred, without justification, is reprehensible.”
Source: Daily Freeman
I’d rather they gave the family a bow and arrow to shoot at the man!
BarkinDog – I do take issue with blood vengeance. Unless Mom raised him this way, I would leave her alone. Pouring sugar in the gas tanks of all his vehicles would not be out of line though.
Ari, You found a fellow horse lover in KarenS.
This is a great discussion w/ real world experiences from old timers and newcomers. Considering this is an emotional issue it is even more notable. Kudos.
@ Darren
Just now read your comment. The difference is that a hunter….a real hunter respects the animals that he/she is hunting. The hunter also respects the sport and the skill required to hunt. Baiting and waiting to kill takes zero skill and is a lazy, irresponsible way to hunt. The next lowest are those who are to lazy to get out of their vehicles and shoot from the road. While others are walking, stalking, being quiet and WORKING at hunting. The road hunters are despicable. They can get licenses but they get no respect from “real” hunters. Baiting with feed or salt licks is also illegal.
A true hunter uses his/her skills and tries to make the kill as quickly and efficiently as possible to avoid unnecessary suffering.
As someone else said. No respect for animal life=no respect for human life.
I’ve hunted. Shot deer and other game (birds). I didn’t revel in it or enjoy shooting the deer or the birds. We hunted for the meat and for sport. Often when I was hunting I would take my camera along with my guns and get more film shot than deer or would just decide that I didn’t want to ‘bag a deer’ this trip. The experience of being in the high desert, outdoors, the silence except for the many sounds of wildlife and the beautiful scenery was often enough for me. Just sitting on a boulder at the top of a ridge and taking it all in. However, it seems this guy is one of the lowest of low as a hunter in using bait to lure the deer in instead of actually….you know …..hunting and using hunting skills
To kill a dog that wasn’t threatening or attacking you is also the sign of a sick mind. He just killed the dog for no good reason other than he could do it. Domestic pet or wild dog, that doesn’t matter. What matters is his lack of empathy for another living being. I’m glad he got caught and hope that he never gets to hunt again in his life.
Animals are different from humans, you are correct, Pets are different from the wild animals, they love their owners unreservedly unlike a spouse or a child and those of us who are alone and have no family do not feel as if they are “beneath” the human race no matter what the laws are as their behavior clearly reflects they are the ones who are more “humane” Just look at all the animals trained to help handicapped people and the highly trained special forces dogs. Really.
Darren….I understand your mixed feelings. It is one of the reasons I cited Temple Grandin’s work and writings. She is mostly autistic and “sees” her world similar to the way animals perceive it…which is why her ideas work to relieve fear and anguish in domestic livestock. The distinction of domestic “pet” versus wild animal is one I lost the ability to make by 1972, although I do understand the difference. Killing is just killing and laws have a difficult time with justifying one form and not another. My work with horses and dogs have taught me that there is a difference between wild and tame…although I have rescued wolf hybrids that grew up to be superb domestic dogs….the line is very thin, thus your point is valid.
I’ve had wolves within a couple feet of me in the wild and felt no fear and sensed none in them. The do make a lot of noise now and then. No wonder in my mind how they became our pet dogs over time. And that is the distinction. What I’d do to this coward isn’t suitable to print here or anywhere else.
No respect for animal life = no respect for human life.
Karen S …. if you’ve enjoyed watching Trakehners, then you’d probably like Moorlands Totilas, a Dutch Warmblood out of a great Trakehner stallion named Gribaldi. Totilas has the highest score in dressage ever recorded. Take a Look Very sad he was sold and taken away from Edward Gal….the rider who took him to the top.
I have mixed feelings about this. I agree this “hunter” is despicable and a bit depraved in shooting a pet dog but it a bit inconsistent to provide a permit to hunt deer with a bow but it is a felony to use the same weapon on a domestic animal in the sense that it constitutes felony aggravated animal cruelty.
I think a charge of unlawful killing of pet animal would have been a better charge, if that state has such a law.
Karen S…. yes, all of our dogs for the past 30 years have been either W. German or E.German or Czech blood lines…working bloodlines with that straight back you cite. Note that in Germany there really are two “types”…the show dogs, which still must achieve a Sch III (today it is IPO III) rating by 3 yoa to be classified in the V or VA categories. There there are the “pure” working dogs, who also make IPO III and usually FH (tracking) ratings. Most of ours have been of the pure working variety, but one of the W. German show-dog types was fantastic, and is the avatar I use in fact, Ari von Hermann Haus. No better pet, friend, or protector anywhere….bred in Wisconsin by a very knowledgeable person from pure W. German imports. We still have a Czech/E. German bloodline dog that is total “straight” as you cited, a grand daughter of Stromfront’s Bronson and Cira Chemlovy kvitek. She is as sweet as any Golden Retriever, but not a dog to make mad…she likes children best of all.
Aridog – I’ve seem Temple Grandin’s presentations. Amazing how her challenges with autism turned out to be assets in looking at problems in a different way.
Aridog:
Trakehners are so beautiful. I’ve seen some really wonderful jumpers.
Are your GSDs the German type, with the straight back?
rafflaw – thanks for going fishing for my post!
Paul Schulte …. most of my veteran friends still hunt. Always in a legal and sane fashion. I still eat venison in fact when offered it. I am the odd ball. Never-the-less, I understand the old Native American concept of thanking the animals we eat, hunted or live stocked, for the blessing they provide us. Never kill unnecessarily. Ever.