I saw Rick a day after the shooting, and I have never seen a person so devastated over the death of his dog. I kept asking him if I could do anything for him and he just wanted to his dog back, and if I couldn't do that for him then could I turn back time and tell him to leave his dog at home? Rick has been taking his dog with him for years- with no trouble, and now he will feel guilty for the rest of his life that he jeopardized that dog in any way. Not once has that neighbor ever approached Rick about keeping his dog off of the property- so why the violent reaction? When the charges come down from the DA's office I hope they hurt as much as those 3 slugs did. Probably not, but I can wish.

I thing the article has confused "dog" with "ankle biter".

Buddie was 10in tall. Weighed 50# Looked like a 'PIG'! His legs were 4" tall & he was @ least 9 yrs old. Family took him in as a stray. He wore a collar to keep him out of the road on Kettle Moraine Drive. Grandpa & family had so much enjoyment discussing ...how did we end up with this little FAT PIG BOY???

Yes it was a terrier, but a terrier is still usually larger and stronger than the cats he supposedly was trying to protect. Size isn't the issue with the dog.

Leash law or no leash law, shooting (and killing) a family pet for no real reason other than the fear of what it may or may not do is absurd behavior. We're not talking about a viscous dog here, it was a freaking Terrier! I heard the shooter actually fired shots from across the street, after the dog vacated his property. How wrong is that!

When I was living in Northern Wisconsin in the country an 18, maybe 19 year old kid came up to the property where I was living and shot the family horse (I was dating someone in the family) who was 20 something years old and been living there since he was a baby.

The kid was on probation, has had several run-ins with the law (obviously), and has mental issues that can not be cured.

He was found guilty. I don't remember what his jail time was but I do remember it was nothing compared to if he had killed a person.

Murder is murder, your pet is your family. He murdered a family member but got a slap on the wrist.

I'd like to make this story more clear. The neighbors were NOT fueding. 'Buddies' owner lives about 1/2 a mile down the road. His family farm is across from the shooter's home. This is very much in the country...in the Kettle Moraine State Forest. His son & grandson were cutting wood near the barn. NO NEED for leash laws here when you are out on a Sunday morning with your 2 dogs...both wearing collars & rabies tags jingling from them. 3 shots!!! Watch for the rest of the story. You will be amazed at the cruelty of a human being.

Most municipalities do have laws against discharging a firearm within city limits.

Not all municipalities require leashes for domestic pets. Sometimes even well behaved dogs get loose. The man who shot the dog should be severly punished. The laws for these kinds of crimes are ill-writen and rarely enforced. The Rock County DA doesn't have enough funding to prosecute attacks on animals. The owner who lost their dog has already been punished; their dog is dead.

Why is it no one has commented that if he is arrested or whatever, that the dog owner also be ticketed for letting it run loose? Yes, it was not well done to shoot the poor thing, but it is not a one sided story at all!

I see nobody's asking whether the shooter's cats were on leashes.

I also see that a dog story, as usual, trumps reader comments versus the insanity of a lawyer -- and former assistant D.A. -- who can't keep his mouth shut about "killing Muslims."

Why's that, I wonder?

Justintimberlakerules-Thank you for the kindness you showed pointing out my error. It is people like you that make my day so complete.

the story said the dog died. learn how to read before you comment.

I bet the neighbor's cats never have crossed a property line -- those furry buggers always do as they're told!

I hope charges are filed and that some sort of psychiatric consult be ordered by the court. This guy needs help with an anger problem or something.

Who said the dog died?

Stories like this disgust me. How can anyone get away with shooting a beloved pet? I feel charges should be filed and if I were the owner of the dog I'd be all over a civil suit.

i agree with you all about keeping pets on leash,it is a law I thought. But shooting and killing the dog way wrong.why isn`t he in jail or something?

Leashes are a very good idea but this is a rural setting not a residential neighborhood and the use of leashes is much less common. I'm not saying it should be just that it is.

There must have been hard feelings between these neighbors. Who would shoot their neighbor's dog for trespassing if there weren't already a problem existing?

Now THOSE you can put on a lease

I'd hate to see what this guy would do if the neighbor's kid wandered into his backyard.

Leash.

Again....good reason to keep your pet on a lease. What do people not get about that??