Father Instructs Son to Shoot Dog that was Threatening his Daughter

On August 31 at 9:03 AM, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office responded to an animal complaint on Whitewood Drive in the Town of Farmington on. The caller, a 54-year-old Town of Farmington man, reported that two dogs attacked his penned up chickens in his yard.

The caller and his two sons observed the attack outside and went inside to get a single shot pellet air rifle while the two sons attempted to chase the dogs away. When the father returned he gave the pellet gun to one of his juvenile sons as they continued to chase the dogs away.

One of the dogs ran away, and according to the witnesses, the other dog circled back around the front of the house where the 6-year-old daughter was standing. According to the witnesses, the family was attempting to scare the dog away a second time when it started growling and acting aggressive while approaching the girl.

The father told investigators he was fearful the dog was going to attack his daughter so he told his son to shoot the dog. The son followed his dad's orders and shot the dog killing the animal. The father told police he thought the pellet gun would only injure the dog and scare it away.

After reviewing a Wisconsin law which says, "a person may intentionally kill a dog only if the person is threatened with serious bodily harm by the dog and other restraining actions were tried and failed, or immediate action is necessary," and consulting with the DA investigators determined there was violation. 

The dead dog was turned over to its owners who do not believe their small dog would have acted in the described manner.

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