Milton man sentenced to year of probation and fines for shooting dog

WISCONSIN -- A Milton man convicted of shooting a dog with a bow and arrow was sentenced Wednesday to one year of probation and $1,766 in fines.

A Rock County jury in March convicted Dale A. Moore, 62, of 7720 N. County KK, of misdemeanor mistreating animals and disorderly conduct while armed.

Dale Moore

James Morke, Milton, on May 21, 2010, was walking his Great Pyrenees dog along railroad tracks off County KK in Lima Township when the dog was shot with an arrow. The dog survived, but Morke said in court Wednesday the dog is slower and unable to get into Morke's truck because of scar tissue in her chest.

Moore was ordered to pay the Morkes’ $4,073 veterinary bills and the cost to transport the dog for emergency surgery. The dog first was taking to a veterinary hospital in Elkhorn and later to Waukesha for surgery the night she was shot.

Moore’s probation could be lifted early after he pays the fine and the bills, Rock County Judge Ken Forbeck said.

Lynn Morke said at the hearing Wednesday that her family has suffered because of the shooting.

“What you did was cruel and heartless. (The dog) was just out for an nice evening walk,” Lynn Morke said.

Susan Jacobson told Forbeck that Moore is a good man who attends church every week and volunteers in the community. She said Moore helped mentor one of her sons and even took him on a hunting trip up north.

“Dale is a wonderful, caring, and gentle man,” Jacobson said.

Assistant District Attorney Scott Dirks asked Forbeck to sentence Moore to a week in jail and revoke his hunting privileges.

Dirks said he could understand an initial lapse in judgment on Moore’s part in shooting the dog, but he said Moore lied during the trial about the dog being on his property and the arrow bouncing off the dog.

“But to maintain for over a year a lie, that deserves some punishment,” Dirks said.

Defense attorney Tod Daniel said the crimes do not warrant jail time. Moore was not a danger to the public and had no prior criminal record, Daniel said.

Daniel said probation and paying for the vet bills fit with the misdemeanor charges.

“An injury to a dog isn’t as serious as an injury to a baby,” Daniel said.

(Gazette Xtra - June 30, 2011)