Dale Orville Douglas, 46, has been charged with two counts of overworking or mistreating an animal, resulting in the death of a pet or companion animal. The charges carry a maximum penalty of two years in prison, a $5,000 fine or both.
The dog, an adult beagle, was let out of a house near Douglas’ residence shortly after 5 p.m. Friday to “do his business,” Winona County Sheriff Ron Ganrude said. Shortly thereafter the dog returned, acting sick and short of breath. When the owner examined it he found what appeared to be a bullet hole in the animal’s side. He called the sheriff. By the time the deputy arrived, the dog had died.
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| Dale Orville Douglas |
The dog’s tracks in the snow led to Douglas’ yard, but the owner said Douglas had denied shooting the dog and suggested that the dog had instead suffered a heart attack, according to court files.
The following day, according to court documents, a sheriff’s department investigator talked with Douglas. Douglas said the beagle came onto his property and was playing with his dog, but play turned to roughhousing and threatened to deteriorate into a fight. Douglas said he separated the dogs and put his animal into the breezeway attached to his home, but the beagle persisted in barking and trying to get to Douglas’ dog.
Douglas said he then swatted at the beagle with a gloved hand, to no effect; the beagle kept on barking and trying to get into the breezeway at the other dog. At that point, Douglas told the investigator, he called to his wife and told her to get the pellet gun. Gun in hand, Douglas took aim at the dog and “popped it in the ass,” according to court documents.
The dog yelped and ran off, Douglas said.
Douglas said he intended to hit the beagle in the leg to run it off, not kill it, according to court documents. He turned the pellet gun over to law enforcement authorities.
Douglas is scheduled to make his first appearance on the charges in Winona County District Court on April 1.
In 2005, Douglas was convicted of stealing more than 100 cows from a former employer and selling them for more than $80,000. He received a long probation in that case, as well as a requirement to repay the owner of the livestock.
The investigator asked Douglas if he felt personally threatened by the dog, or feared that the beagle would do major harm to his dog. Douglas said he knew the beagle was not after him, and he wasn’t sure if the beagle posed a serious threat to his dog.
When Douglas gave his pellet gun to the investigator later that day, he asked if he had the right to shoot the beagle if he felt “threatened.” The investigator said that would contradict Douglas’ previous statements.
(The Courier Life News - Feb 25, 2015)
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