# justice for a murdered dog



## Jmgardner (Sep 17, 2014)

Hello all,

Any of you who use your dogs in the field understand the bond that forms between you and your amazing canine companion. Well, I come asking for help if you are at all inclined, if even it means you just help spread the word.

All my life I have helped my dad raise hunting dogs. Specifically, pure bred Plott hounds for boar and bear hunting. we raise top quality dogs, and for us, it is all about the betterment of the breed and the sport. we very rarely sell dogs, they are either raised and trained for our use or given to close friends who hunt them just as hard as we do. Raising this line of dogs is a huge part of who I am today. Well back up to two years ago this past month. Dad and some friends were hunting in the national forest where i grew up. The GPS tracker showed that rocky, the dog chasing the hog that day, was bayed. My dad and his friend left the truck and headed for the bay. when they were just a few hundred yards away, dad heard 2 shots to ring out, and the barking stop but the dog didn't move. he followed the gps on in to where it showed the dog to be, and found an odd situation. Rocky lay dead, and about 75 yds away stood 2 men who claimed to be squirrel hunting standing over a dead hog. now i wasn't there, so this is just what I'm told, but the shooter claimed that he thought it was two hogs. For any of you that have been around a loud mouthed hound at full bay or tree, you can see where thats hard to believe. further more, the dog was wearing a bright lime green tracking collar, bright lime green shock collar, and bright lime green normal collar (we use matching collars per dog, so we can recognize them crossing roads or in the woods). It would have been mighty hard to miss that, much less think a hog would wear green collars. worse still, a common rule for gun safety and hunting is know your target and what lies beyond. target identification was obviously a fail if he did think it was a hog. Anyways, the guy in the woods promised to pay for the dog. Unfortunatley, he had a change of heart and 2 years later, there is still no resolution. in the south, we have a bad problem of still hunters and tree stand hunters who believe dogs have no place in the woods. and this is not an isolated incident in our area.

Rocky was far and away the best dog we owned at the time and the stud of the kennel. the reason he was alone at the bay was because he stuck out the race that 3 other dogs fell out of. My dad loves his dog with all his heart. His loves in life are God, his wife and kids, and his hounds. In that order. He's a marine veteran and a hard worker that has worked swing shift all his life to provide for my mom, my sisters and I. Unfortunately, dad doesn't have the disposable income to keep pursuing this issue. But this dog was family, and he isn't giving up. Im not want to ask for handouts, but supporting this cause would also help set precedence to protect other Houndsmen dealing with these issues. If you could donate at all or at least help spread the word to other outlets that you know are frequented by any hunting dog enthusiasts, we would be immensely grateful! I will do my best to update this thread as things progress. Below is the link to the gofund me where you can see pictures and the little blurb my dad wrote up on the issue. thanks and God bless!

https://www.gofundme.com/3xsjftq4


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## Jmgardner (Sep 17, 2014)

Here is just one of the many hogs he was a part of helping us get. He rigged this particular hog from the box. He's the hound on the right with the green collar. He's sorely missed


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

Where did this happen?


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## Jmgardner (Sep 17, 2014)

bankhead national forrest in the northern part of Alabama


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## muleydeermaniac (Jan 17, 2008)

I'll spread word. Some of my good friends run dogs and train them as well! That's messed up beyond anything I've seen!


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## Jmgardner (Sep 17, 2014)

I really appreciate that muley! a few states in the south are now specifically protecting hunting dogs from these situations. unfortunately thats not helping our situation yet.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

I have a honest question about running dogs. In utah we have a leash law, dogs are supposed to be leashed. But when out hunting, obviously hunters let dogs run free, especially houndsmen. I assume there is a statue out there exempting hunting dogs during hunting, from the leash law? Anyone know where that law is and how its worded?

-DallanC


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## Jmgardner (Sep 17, 2014)

i have no idea about utah because i unfortunately couldn't bring my dogs out here with me. however, in alabama (as I'm sure is the case in utah) dog hunting seasons are defined. however, Hogs are varmints in alabama and its legal to run them year round except for turkey season and deer season in counties where deer dogs aren't allowed. however, this happened in febuary so neither of these were the issue. also, a dog off a leash still couldn't be justifiably shot unless it was in self defense. considering this dog was just a big teddy bear people wise, and the guy straight up said he thought it was a hog, self defense is obviously not the case.


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## richardjb (Apr 1, 2008)

DallanC said:


> I have a honest question about running dogs. In utah we have a leash law, dogs are supposed to be leashed. But when out hunting, obviously hunters let dogs run free, especially houndsmen. I assume there is a statue out there exempting hunting dogs during hunting, from the leash law? Anyone know where that law is and how its worded?
> 
> -DallanC


I don't believe we have a leash law here for National Forest unless you are in designated campgrounds. That being said, the owner is still responsible for their dogs actions. In my decades of camping, I've never had rangers give me a problem with my dogs running loose in primitive camp sites.

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk


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## Kevin D (Sep 15, 2007)

Leash laws are primarily local city and county ordinances that have no jurisdiction outside their boundaries. So there is no one state statute governing dogs on a leash, but there are hundreds or so city and county ordinances on the books each worded differently. Regardless, working dogs performing their duties are generally exempted from leash laws. Can you imagine trying to gather sheep with a dog on a leash??

Sorry about your dad's dog Jm. As a houndsman I'm more concerned about my dogs getting injured or killed by human activity than I do about getting mauled by a lion or a bear. The vast majority of people are good or at least tolerant when they encounter one of my dogs in the field, but there is always that one or two percent.


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## Jmgardner (Sep 17, 2014)

Thank you Kevin! It's unfortunate how right you are about what worries a houndsman


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## Maverick1 (Mar 25, 2016)

We need to join hands in fighting for the rights of our animals. Such stories are heart breaking. We should petition and spread awareness especially to authorities.


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