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State law against shooting someone else’s dog carries possible prison sentence
by Guy Page
Vermont State Police now say the man who shot a German Shepherd dog in Richford Wednesday evening October 1 says he he thought he was shooting at a bear.
As reported yesterday by the Vermont Daily Chronicle, about 5 p.m., Nicholas Wetherby, 28, of Richford, reported hearing a single gunshot while his black German Shepherd was in a nearby field off Route 105 and Magoon Road. The dog returned to Weatherby’s residence with a fatal gunshot wound to its snout.
Witnesses told troopers they saw a man walking away from the area shortly after the shot, before getting into a white full-sized pickup truck and heading toward town. Police said they did not know if the shooting was intentional or accidental.
After further investigation, State Police in Saint Albans Thursday night at 10;47 PM said they had identified the offender in this case as Nathan Peters, 37, from Richford. Peters stated he believed he was shooting at a bear when he shot the dog in question, police say.
Peters was charged with animal cruelty and ordered to appear in Vermont Superior Court to answer to that charge on November 17. Under state law 13VSA353, Cruelty to animals shall be punishable by a sentence of imprisonment of not more than one year or a fine of not more than $2,000.00, or both. The laws allows a judge to impose further sentences:
- Forfeit any future right to own, possess, or care for any animal for a period that the court deems appropriate.
- Participate in available animal cruelty prevention programs or educational programs.
Bear hunting season in Vermont began September 1 and runs through November 15, with a ‘late season’ November 15-23.
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If you don’t know the difference between a dog and a bear….
Just saying…
agreed, probably didn’t have an early bear license either.
At least he didn’t shoot at a bicyclist, totally dressed in black spandex, riding through the fields and woods during hunting season.
I’m not saying it’s okay to shoot a German Sheppard, just be sure of your target before you pull the trigger. I mean everybody!!
Exactly! If one cannot distinguish between a bear or a dog, one should NOT be in possession of a firearm; reiterating what I stated yesterday on VDC under the first article that detailed this killing. Poor dog. Poor owner. Poor VT. RIP, all three.
That poor dog has such a sweet countenance.
I’m sure Wetherby feels awful for his pet, along with a little bit of guilt.
And who wouldn’t feel bad accidentally shooting a dog? Peters is gonna have to live with that ugly stain regardless of the punishment he gets .
I gotta say , I feel sorry for all three of them.
According to the article, Peters walked away after shooting this innocent animal, who obviously suffered a great deal prior to his death, and left the area in his truck. Thankfully a witness reported him.
Not sure how “bad” he felt since he was shirking his legal responsibility to contact law enforcement and is guilty of leaving the scene of an “accident”.
Peters is a coward and should NOT be in possession of a gun. Once again, positively identifying one’s target is crucial in handling firearms safely.
As a long time hunter and native Vermonter, please don’t refer to the shooter as a “hunter” becasue he is not one. He is a shooter who committed a criminal offense. At 5 PM in early October with full daylight, not that approaching darkness would be an excuse either, to not be 100% sure of your target is a criminal offense in my and any real hunter’s book. Speaking of books, the court should “throw the book” at him with the maximum penalty allowed by law and make sure every news outlet in the state puts it out to the public. The dog’s owner is also due financial compensation for the lose of his dog. Only when people of all ages fully realize that actions have consequences will our society become safe for all of us and our pets. Sadly I am not expecting much from our courts in this situation, other than a slap on the wrist. Victims have few rights in Vermont. The courts give most of them to the criminals.
The shooter certainly seems at fault for this dog’s unnecessary death. No excuses, but dog owners need to be reminded that they are required by VT law to keep track of and remain in control of their animal’s actions and location 100% of the time.
If your pet dog is somewhere other than your own private property in Vermont the owner is required to keep the dog leashed or have it under immediate response voice control. Do we know if this dog was on the owner’s private property or was it running free? The answer to this won’t bring the animal back to life but it’s a question and legal precedent that shouldn’t be ignored.
GREAT post; thank you. Bravo.
My comment “GREAT post; thank you” was a response to David Stahler, Sr. – for some reason, when you hit the reply button, often your reply just gets placed wherever.
Kathleen,
Replies do not just get placed wherever. They are positioned in chronological order underneath the comment in which one clicked “reply”. This is not highly conducive to back and forth dialog between two individuals as others comments are often interspersed within that chronological timeline. But it is the consistent system that WordPress comment sections continue to use.
You’ve stated behaviors that you feel are “crucial in handling firearms safely”…
Out of curiosity, did you participate in your first hunter safety training course while growing up on Long Island or after relocating to Vermont in 2001?