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Man defends shooting dog caring for pups

By: Ian Hitchen

Posted: 05/19/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

Amanda Hatfield of the Brandon Hills Veterinary Clinic shows the four puppies rescued from Sandy Lake after their mother was killed. (COLIN CORNEAU / BRANDON SUN)

SANDY LAKE -- A Manitoba man who shot and killed a dog who was caring for her five puppies has stepped forward to tell his side of the story.

The man, who asked not to be identified, said the canine, named Blizzard, had a history of wandering onto his property and was one of a number of dogs that had previously attacked and killed his own pet.

So, he said, when he found Blizzard and another dog on his porch, he shot them -- in part, due to concern for his grandchildren's safety.

"I had no idea that the one (dog) had puppies, or I would never have done it," he said.

Blizzard's story was first printed in the Brandon Sun on Thursday.

Her owner described how she and her husband had recently attended their daughter's wedding in Toronto, and returned to their farm home near Sandy Lake on Monday to learn their beloved pet had been shot.

On May 12, a family friend had found Blizzard lying in her doghouse with a bullet wound behind her ear, her puppies at her side. She was alive when she was found, but died shortly after.

The owners kept one of the pups and the remaining four were taken in by the Brandon Humane Society, which issued an appeal for any information that led to the identity of the killer.

Coverage of the shooting brought a fierce backlash against the unidentified shooter, prompting him to step forward on Friday.

"I've already contacted RCMP and told them that I'm the person who shot the dog," the man said, adding he's the neighbour of Blizzard's owners and has had ongoing issues with the dog and her offspring from previous litters.

The animals have strayed onto his property and torn up his garbage, he said. In the past, he said, he's been patient -- he would phone the owners to inform them where their dogs were, and on at least one occasion loaded them into his own car to take them home.

Things reached a head, however, when he arrived home on March 20 to find Blizzard and two of her pups from a previous litter sitting on his deck.

His own dog, a Norwegian elkhound named Lucy, lay on the grass covered in blood. He said that as he watched, Blizzard and the other dogs on the deck then attacked Lucy and his dog died the next day.

He made a complaint to the RM of Park.

Meanwhile, RM council was supposed to hold a meeting on June 5 to determine whether Blizzard and the other dogs should be declared dangerous and put down.

The shooter said on May 12, he found Blizzard and another dog on his deck and his garbage torn again. Believing he had the legal right, he grabbed a gun and shot them both.

One dog died on the spot but it appears Blizzard dragged herself home to die in her doghouse.

-- Brandon Sun

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 19, 2012 A8

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