Family outraged over dog’s death
Contributed photo
Henry sniffs little Avary Geer’s foot during the summer of 2007 at her home on Corder Road in Elkwood.
Rhonda Simmons, [email protected], (540) 825-0771 ext. 125
Published: January 12, 2010
Updated: January 12, 2010
An off-duty Culpeper County sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed his neighbor’s dog on Friday used a county weapon, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Read more here
Cpl. Russell Woodward, who lives in the 17100 block of Edwards Shop Road, told an animal control investigator that he shot Henry, a Labrador-mix, with a shotgun after the dog wandered onto his property and threatened his chickens.
View a slideshow
The dog’s owner, Alice Geer of the 17200 block of Corder Road in Elkwood, is beside herself.
“You wouldn’t expect your neighbor that knows you and your dog to do something this atrocious,” said Geer, whose property backs up to Woodward’s.
The deputy said Monday he was told not to talk about the shooting.
“I’m not going to comment on it because I still have to do my job here,” Woodward, who works in the patrol division, told the Star-Exponent.
In the incident report, on file in the county attorney’s office, animal control officer Nikki Shugars writes that Woodward told her “this lab had killed three chickens in the past, and there were also three other chickens killed previously.”
“But,” the report continues, “he did not see the dog do it.”
On Friday night, Woodward told a television reporter off-camera that when he saw Henry crawl into his chicken coop this time, he grabbed his shotgun to protect his livestock.
Geer questions that claim.
The chicken wire, she says, had no visible signs of being breached. And, she added, “If (Henry) had been in the coop when he was executed, Officer Woodward would have been a fool to fire into his own chicken coop with a shotgun.”
According to Shugars of animal control, “The dog was laying (sic) next to the chicken pen; you could see where the lab had been trying to get into the pen. The dog was shot in the side with a shotgun. He was dead when I arrived.”
The CCSO is standing behind its deputy.
“In regards to the incident on Friday, the deputy did not violate state law or any Sheriff’s Office policies in regards to using a firearm issued by the office,” CCSO spokeswoman Corey Byers wrote via e-mail Monday. “As of this evening, (he) has not been found in violation of any office policies regarding the discharge of a firearm.”
The CCSO’s policy requires all deputies to file a written report every time a firearm is discharged. The deputy filed a report as required, Byers said.
Regardless of whether any laws were broken, Alice Geer and her husband, Joseph, are incensed at what they view as a needless tragedy.
“We pay (deputies) to use their judgment, and a failure to do so speaks a lot about his character,” Alice Geer said. “If a dog gets out, you take him back to the neighbor.”
Alice Geer, who rescued Henry about five years ago, described him as a lovable dog with a good disposition. “He never met a person that he didn’t like,” she said. “He was very attentive and a sweet boy.”
She also recalls the time when her 2-year-old toddler, Avary, used Henry to pull up and try to walk.
“He stood perfectly still,” Alice said, adding that the family also referred to Henry as the “Nanny dog.”
The animal control report described at least one meeting between Woodward and the Geer family over Henry’s behavior: “Mr. Woodward,” it said, “has gone over to the owner of the dog previously to let them know that the dog had killed his chickens, hoping they would keep the dog up.”
Asked what their next step is, Alice Geer said her family is still exploring its options. “We’re still grieving,” she said, “and it’s still very much a shock. Now his neighbors know what kind of person he is.”
http://www2.starexponent.com/cse/news/local/article/family_outraged_over_dogs_death/50207/
Contributed photo
Henry sniffs little Avary Geer’s foot during the summer of 2007 at her home on Corder Road in Elkwood.
Rhonda Simmons, [email protected], (540) 825-0771 ext. 125
Published: January 12, 2010
Updated: January 12, 2010
An off-duty Culpeper County sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed his neighbor’s dog on Friday used a county weapon, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Read more here
Cpl. Russell Woodward, who lives in the 17100 block of Edwards Shop Road, told an animal control investigator that he shot Henry, a Labrador-mix, with a shotgun after the dog wandered onto his property and threatened his chickens.
View a slideshow
The dog’s owner, Alice Geer of the 17200 block of Corder Road in Elkwood, is beside herself.
“You wouldn’t expect your neighbor that knows you and your dog to do something this atrocious,” said Geer, whose property backs up to Woodward’s.
The deputy said Monday he was told not to talk about the shooting.
“I’m not going to comment on it because I still have to do my job here,” Woodward, who works in the patrol division, told the Star-Exponent.
In the incident report, on file in the county attorney’s office, animal control officer Nikki Shugars writes that Woodward told her “this lab had killed three chickens in the past, and there were also three other chickens killed previously.”
“But,” the report continues, “he did not see the dog do it.”
On Friday night, Woodward told a television reporter off-camera that when he saw Henry crawl into his chicken coop this time, he grabbed his shotgun to protect his livestock.
Geer questions that claim.
The chicken wire, she says, had no visible signs of being breached. And, she added, “If (Henry) had been in the coop when he was executed, Officer Woodward would have been a fool to fire into his own chicken coop with a shotgun.”
According to Shugars of animal control, “The dog was laying (sic) next to the chicken pen; you could see where the lab had been trying to get into the pen. The dog was shot in the side with a shotgun. He was dead when I arrived.”
The CCSO is standing behind its deputy.
“In regards to the incident on Friday, the deputy did not violate state law or any Sheriff’s Office policies in regards to using a firearm issued by the office,” CCSO spokeswoman Corey Byers wrote via e-mail Monday. “As of this evening, (he) has not been found in violation of any office policies regarding the discharge of a firearm.”
The CCSO’s policy requires all deputies to file a written report every time a firearm is discharged. The deputy filed a report as required, Byers said.
Regardless of whether any laws were broken, Alice Geer and her husband, Joseph, are incensed at what they view as a needless tragedy.
“We pay (deputies) to use their judgment, and a failure to do so speaks a lot about his character,” Alice Geer said. “If a dog gets out, you take him back to the neighbor.”
Alice Geer, who rescued Henry about five years ago, described him as a lovable dog with a good disposition. “He never met a person that he didn’t like,” she said. “He was very attentive and a sweet boy.”
She also recalls the time when her 2-year-old toddler, Avary, used Henry to pull up and try to walk.
“He stood perfectly still,” Alice said, adding that the family also referred to Henry as the “Nanny dog.”
The animal control report described at least one meeting between Woodward and the Geer family over Henry’s behavior: “Mr. Woodward,” it said, “has gone over to the owner of the dog previously to let them know that the dog had killed his chickens, hoping they would keep the dog up.”
Asked what their next step is, Alice Geer said her family is still exploring its options. “We’re still grieving,” she said, “and it’s still very much a shock. Now his neighbors know what kind of person he is.”
http://www2.starexponent.com/cse/news/local/article/family_outraged_over_dogs_death/50207/