Cyclist fatally shoots dog in Davie

A dog training to assist the elderly in therapy was shot and killed in his owner's Davie front yard by a gun-toting bicyclist on Thanksgiving Day, according to the South-Florida Sun-Sentinel.

The shooter, whom police have not yet named, told investigators he was attacked by the two-year-old Doberman pinscher named Scooby. But Scooby's owner said his dog, a former rescue, would never have hurt anyone...

Read the whole story

Comments

[field-man]

01:16 PM on 11/30/2011

Keep your dog on a leash

[WVWNEWS]

01:26 AM on 12/28/2011

Leashes aren't enough for some dogs! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF4mRKXKJ34 (dog pulls bumper off car and flats the tires (dozens of this video and extended footage abound)

[gnobie01]

02:42 AM on 11/29/2011

I was in Florida on vacation two years ago June...Walking my Westie dogs ...[both on leash]..I heard a growl, turned and saw a pit bull terrier in full charge coming at me....Lucily I was at the door to my hotel room..DAYS INN ..threw them both in the room and closed the door in the pit's face..
My wife assured me that thisa would Never happen again and circumstances being as they were..I agreed...Untill I was in florida Sept 2011...On the outside catwalk of the hotel a Pit bull terrier was running back and forth OFF LEASH with it's ownerswatching and preventing it from going down the stairs as it was excitedly watching me and mine {on leash} take our walk in parking lot...Had the pit discovered that THE OTHER SET OF STAIRS 30 yards behind it ...the owners would not have been able to stop it from getting at us.....SORRY JERKOFFS!!!!....you cannot leave yopur dogs off leash in florida!!..I will now carry my lawfully concealed pistol on my vacations....YOUR DOG ATTACKS...I WILL SHOOT TO STOP THE DOG WHICH LIKELY MEANS KILL IT.....KEEP YOUR DAMN DOGS ON LEASH AND UNDER CONTROL!!!! IT IS THE LAW!!!

[Y3rMawm]

01:10 AM on 11/29/2011

"It's very alarming that someone would be riding a bike with a gun at 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day,"

Broward County = Dangling Chads.

[WVWNEWS]

01:24 AM on 12/28/2011

Yes, only gun toting witches ride bicycles on Thanksgiving. Oh the horror!

[phoenix182]

11:57 AM on 11/28/2011

While there are certainly questions about rather or not the man was truly threatened, the ignorance of the owner more or less ruins any credibility or likely case they could build.

[SouPro]

12:35 AM on 11/28/2011

Why can't HuffPost get a real picture of Scooby instead of some adorable little puppy?

What a horrible owner. I hope the Doberman Rescue League does a better job of vetting rescue owners in the future. Leash laws aren't friendly suggestions.

[Lemon Limey]

11:14 AM on 11/27/2011

Was the dog attacking the biker? Yes or No.

Seems to me that is the question.

Loose dogs are a danger to kids, too ya know.

[Lemon Limey]

11:10 AM on 11/27/2011

Just wondering what the anti-firearmmm people here would be saying if the story had been "Child in cart behind father's bicycle attacked and mauled by loose doberman pincher". Especially if the father admitted he had a conceal & carry permit but had not brought his firearm along that day thinking what the neighbors would think about that.

[WVWNEWS]

01:18 AM on 12/28/2011

I love riding on less-busy roads with my kid, but I usually DRIVE a car 1hr away to a park to ride, to avoid damn dogs that people let run wild. Dogs raiding a kid in a cart is especially dangerous because it can wreck the cyclist, the kid has no protection but maybe a tent-cloth fabric, and the rider can't shoot behind because of the kid there.

[Lemon Limey]

11:07 AM on 11/27/2011

A doberman pincher as a "therapy dog".. Yes you get. No doubt the dog had his orange "therapy dog" vest on him that the owner purchased for $9.95 on the internet so he could take the dog into stores and nobody could kick him out.

We see dogs all the time with vests calling them "therapy dogs", etc. in stores. NOT ONE of them has the behavior of a true therapy dog.

[Justin Slowik]

06:13 PM on 11/27/2011

Lemon, he was truly in training to be a therapy dog for the elderly. I know the family, and this was not some made up situation regarding the dog. I feel for the family and believe that if this biker was truly in danger, there would have been some barking or growling first. When the first shot heard is a gunshot, questions should be asked. Especially if the biker had time to stop, unholster his gun, aim, and shoot the dog directly in the center of the chest before getting a single scratch on him (as what would normally happen in an "attack").

[ElmCreekSmith]

09:46 AM on 11/28/2011

"I feel for the family and believe that if this biker was truly in danger, there would have been some barking or growling first."

Contrary to popular opinion, dogs don't necessarily bark or growl when pursuing "prey."

"When the first shot heard is a gunshot, questions should be asked."

Warning shots are never a good idea.

"Especially if the biker had time to stop, unholster his gun, aim, and shoot the dog directly in the center of the chest before getting a single scratch on him (as what would normally happen in an "attack")."

What makes you think he had to stop to do that? And, do you ascribe to the premise that one must get bitten before defending oneself from a large dog that is chasing you?

ECS

[gnobie01]

02:48 AM on 11/29/2011

I was attacked by a pit bull two years ago in fla...DOG NOT ON LEASH...Owner's fault for shooting...SORRY...KEEP THE DOGS ON LEASH..IT IS THE LAW!!!...

[Conlaw Bloganon]

08:21 PM on 11/26/2011

A dog bred for generations to be aggressive and intimidating, left unrestrained (in violation of the law), allegedly attacks a man. The man, lawfully carrying a firearm, acts in self defense, which is a legitimate defense any time that he or anyone else is in the process of or about to be the victim of a forcible felony, which includes attack by a dog. No harm, no foul.

If there is any chance of your dog attacking someone, secure it, because if it does attack someone, they may well act in self defense. You can't blame the gun or the gun owner on this one.

[averagezoe]

09:02 PM on 11/26/2011

You are one of the misguided and uninformed who arbitrarily subscribe certain attributes to certain breeds and that shows a great deal of ignorance. Doberman Pinchers have an inherent propensity for aggression if this is fostered by training, but most of them are extremely gentle and mellow dogs. Among the thousands of dogs I've rescued over the years, the Dobermans have been the most timid and shy. Apparently, this cyclist who was obviously a bit deranged - who carries a gun while riding a bike in the morning - was as woefully uninformed as you and killed this innocent dog simply because of his breed. It would really behoove people if they'd educate themselves instead of spewing forth such banalities.

[Conlaw Bloganon]

09:11 PM on 11/26/2011

Carrying a firearm for self defense is protected by the constitution and in most states an individual can use that weapon in self defense any time he is the victim of or threatened with a forcible felony. I don't care what your philosophy on the matter is, the law was on his side if indeed the animal attacked him.

[Lemon Limey]

11:15 AM on 11/27/2011

Wonder what you would be saying if the dog had mauled his daughter. Would he have had the right to shoot the dog then in your little world?

[Violette Noire]

07:25 PM on 11/26/2011

PLEASE HELP US SAVE DOGS FROM BEING KILLED

ADOPTERS / FOSTERS DESPERATELY NEEDED!!!

BE PART OF THE SOLUTION!

Urgent Death Row Dogs:

www.urgentdeathrowdogs.org

Urgent PART2 on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/Urgentdeathrowdogs

Dogs About To Die :(

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.206358356043718.56767.152876678058553&type=1

[WVWNEWS]

01:23 AM on 12/28/2011

Yes, save dogs from being killed by keeping them on chains, leashes, and in secure homes, and training them from day 1 not to even think about chasing a citizen on a bike!