Question of the Day: Should You Be Able to Shoot Your Own Dog?

“The death of a brown-and-white, mixed breed named Bruno on the northern fringe of New Hampshire’s White Mountains has sparked an angry response from animal rights activists who want to ban owners from using a gun to ‘put down’ old, sick or dangerous dogs,” reports. “‘It was done in such a cruel manner. The dog was shot multiple times and left to die,’ said Katie Treamer, one of the founders of Justice For Bruno, a group lobbying to make it a felony to shoot a pet to death in New Hampshire. ‘In this day and age, it’s just not a responsible way to euthanize a pet.'” Contacted by the police, the dog’s owner said he shot his adopted pet because he had . . .

bitten his children on three separate occasions. The owner said he tried to give the dog away buy decided the canine was too vicious to go to another home. He shot the dog four times and left his body in tall grass.

The resulting furor has been fierce, with animal-lovers saying the practice should be outlawed while rural residents maintain that taking an animal to a vet for to be euthanized can be too expensive. What’s your take? Should dog owners be able to use a gun to put down their pets?


  1. avatar JAlan says:

    Yes, but please do clean up the mess and do it in one shot.

    1. avatar Joe R. says:

      YES ^

      Remember too – 4 Safety Rules (remember what’s behind the target).

      C A V E A T ! ! !: Never lose a gunfight to your dog. Always judiciously return fire and countermand the threat.

    2. avatar Pieslapper says:

      No. Only the cops are allowed to shoot your dog.

    3. avatar Paul says:

      Exactly. I mean for gods sakes if you’re having to kill your own dog because he’s sick or hurting, he’ll probably want you to be close and petting him anyway. Put the barrel very close to the top of the skull and shoot. It sucks, but for heaven’s sake you owe your dog a quick and painless exit. One of mine is getting up in years and I’m dreading it myself 🙁

    4. avatar Cliff H says:

      “A man should be willing to shoot his own dog when necessary. Farming it out does not make it better, it makes it worse.” – Lazarus Long/Robert A. Heinlein

      1. avatar Art out West says:

        Yes, of couse you have the right to shoot your own dog. You should also do it in the most humane manner possible. Treat the animal with some respect. It is your “friend” afterall.

        The guy in the story sound like a total ass. At least he should have had the decency to clean up afterwards.

        By the way, you also have a right to butcher and eat your chickens when they get old and stop laying very many eggs. Old hens are tough, but taste wonderful.

        Also, a veterinarian friend of mine told me that she thought shooting animals was one of the quickest, least painful, and most loving ways to put down an old or sick pet. This is coming from a “middle-age soccer mom” veterinarian.

      2. avatar Jim Bullock says:

        Well, I’m glad that got quoted so soon.

        The initial question above should read “permitted.” Should one be permitted to shoot one’s own dog.

        That said, you are responsible for your own dog. To care for it. Protect it. Regulate its behavior. And put the animal down when needed – both the means to do it, and the will to decide.

        People who would not permit you to end your dog your self, don’ t think you are responsible enough to have a gun, either.

        They are also prone to punishing a group for an individual’s errors. Not dead-eye dog owner is guilty of cruelty and negligance. This does not mean others are as incompetent.

        A man’s know his limitations.

    5. avatar Sock Monkey says:

      Is this a trick question? Of course one has a right to shoot one’s own dog.

      The better question is, whose business is it, if I happen to kill my dog in a very inhumane manner? It’s my dog. Mind your own business.

      1. avatar swobard says:

        Hmmm…. Is “Sock Monkey” actually a pseudonym for “Michael Vick”?

  2. avatar Another Robert says:

    More damn do-gooders causing more grief for ordinary folks in order to “solve” a non-existent “problem”; there are already animal-cruelty laws in place pretty much everywhere to take care of the occasional outlier.

    1. avatar Chris T from KY says:


  3. avatar Don says:

    I’m not sure what the answer to the question should be but this guy sounds like a complete moron. Shoots the dog 4 times and still not sure it’s dead?
    Sounds like at least an animal cruelty charge is appropriate.

    1. avatar The Pontificator says:


      1. avatar Another Robert says:

        Yes, a cruelty charge for the individual case. We don’t outlaw driving because one idiot drives foolishly and hurts someone, we don’t need to outlaw ballistic euthanasia for animals.

    2. avatar Roymond says:

      Change “moron” to “incompetent”, and you’ve got it.

  4. avatar Removed_californian says:

    As quickly, cleanly, and efficiently as possible in the event the dog needs to be out out of it’s misery: yes. There are instances where it is necessary to put down your own dog.

    Four times shot, I want to know why so many and why he didn’t finish the animal. It shouldn’t have been left to suffer.

    1. avatar Anonymoose says:

      A 9mm hollowpoint to the brain should be sufficient to put down most dogs. I’m guessing this guy is a really crappy shot and used something like .22 Short.

      1. avatar ShaunL. says:

        I usually use a .17 HMR almost point blank. From experience…. it works through even the toughest skull and I’ve never needed a follow up shot. Just because I eat my animals doesn’t mean I want them to suffer even the slightest bit. The rifle also makes less splashback and the temporary wound cavity(?) almost liquefies the brain.

        1. avatar BillC says:

          You eat dog?

        2. avatar Gunr says:

          You never heard of woking your dog?

        3. avatar beerwhisperer says:

          Nice one.

        4. avatar jwm says:

          Gunr, you a bad man.

        5. avatar ShaunL. says:

          “You eat dog?”

          Nope, I was speaking mostly about goat, and in the past, some pigs. What’s good for the thick skulled pig or goat seemed like the best, most humane way for the dog.

          Fair question in context though…lol.

  5. avatar Layne says:

    Of course you should. Pets are just lazier wild animals. It’s no less humane than shooting a deer (probably more humane, due to the close proximity). In fact I’d add the the general public should be allowed to put down pet owners that won’t shut up about other people’s business. Seems to be reaching an epidemic.

    1. avatar actionphysicalman says:

      Pet dogs are usually not “wild”, and even more so, not the lazy ones.

      1. avatar Layne says:

        My point is simply that any laws concerning the humane treatment of animals need to be identical for wild animals, game animals, livestock, and pets. The court of public opinion has a thing where they think cute animals deserve better treatment (better than humans in many cases). It’s simply not logical.

        1. avatar actionphysicalman says:

          I understand, I was just ribbing you. I am grumpy about not being able to afford a Brevis II .338 suppressor.

        2. avatar Jeremy in AL says:

          For this you can thank Disney.

      2. avatar Geoff PR says:

        “Pet dogs are usually not “wild”, and even more so, not the lazy ones.”

        Pet dogs abandoned tend to ‘pack up’ a short time after released.

        And that is not a good thing.

  6. avatar ShaunL. says:

    The country way. Give the dog a steak, let him/her finish 3/4 then lights out from behind. No pain, no suffering and no clue what’s about to happen.

    The same goes for meat livestock in my family. It just seems more respectful to the animal than having someone else do it.

    1. avatar Dave L says:

      “It just seems more respectful to the animal than having someone else do it.”

      I agree 100%. How is it more humane taking the dog to a vet?

      1. avatar ShaunL. says:

        Given the choice, I would much rather die at my home than at some sterile office surrounded by strangers.

        Also, My animals HATE the vet. Nothing good ever happens there. Even my goats avoid the vet when he makes farm calls.

      2. avatar Defens says:

        Far more humane to go for one last stroll in the woods with a beloved pet, then subject him to the awful sounds and smells of an animal clinic. Go for a nice walk, and say goodbye.

    2. avatar Garrison Hall says:

      In fairly recent years, both of my dogs died quietly at home. They just quietly went to sleep and didn’t wake up. I knew when they were going and made sure they were comfortable and knew I loved them. I felt it was important for them to die in comfortable and familiar surroundings. If they’d been dying and in pain, I would have had no difficulty ending their life myself. There’s a way of doing it right, however. Having to shoot a dog 4 times is wrong, irresponsible and most likely animal abuse.

  7. avatar bontai Joe says:

    Yes, and I have done it in the past. But I only ever needed one shot and I buried the animal afterwards. I couldn’t in good conscience leave a pet’s body to rot in the weeds. I didn’t have the $100 that local vets charge for putting an animal “to sleep”.

  8. avatar bLoving says:

    Having to put down a beloved family pet is a heart-wrenching reality of pet ownership. But to legislate how a pet owner may be permitted to do it would put pet ownership out of the economic reach of many Americans. Vet-assisted euthanasia is not cheap or free. One would have hoped the poor dog could have simply been dispatched with one clean shot.
    I’m gonna go hug my dogs for a while now…

    1. avatar Ian says:

      Cost is never a valid excuse. If you can’t afford the responsibilities of owning a pet, don’t buy a pet. That’s like whining that you can’t afford the gas for your Hummer. Owning pets isn’t a right, so if a lot of people can’t afford it too fucking bad, you don’t get a pet.

      Also I put my last dog down for 50 bucks, and cremated for 150 more. Despite what you think, it actually is cheap.

      That said, if it is done quickly putting down a sick or old dog at home shouldn’t be a problem. Had to do that with a previous dog as well when I lived further out of the city.

      1. avatar boardsnbikes says:

        Of course…because we all know with certitude our financial status 5, 10 and 15 years into the future.

        1. avatar Defens says:

          Beat me to it. Same as buying a house or even having kids. Our situations can change in a heartbeat.

      2. avatar Roymond says:

        Of course cost is a valid excuse — except it isn’t an excuse, it’s a valid reason. No one is required to do things the more expensive way.

        BTW, I checked around here and for a vet to euthanize a dog would run a minimum of $200. $50 would only get you the shot to give it yourself. Depends on location, I guess.

      3. avatar Cowabunga Dude says:

        So, if I’m following your thought process, a pet (much like a Hummer) is one’s own personal property and can therefore be dealt with however the owner chooses to do so?

        1. avatar Avid Reader says:

          I belive in most states, animals, including pets, are considered chattel under the law. You can do what you will with them as long as you don’t engage in animal cruelty. I grew up in the sticks in a family of animal lovers, a trait I share with them. Yet practicality dictated that when it was time, we often dispatched them with a humane single shot.

          But we always gave them a respectful burial-even the feral ones.

      4. avatar peirsonb says:


        Whereas a round of 30-30 runs roughly $0.70.

        I agree that if you can’t afford the normal expenses associated with pet ownership you shouldn’t have one. But who are you to define what the “normal expenses” are or should be? Would you raise the same argument for someone that opted for euthanasia over a $5,000 hip replacement?

      5. avatar Retired LEO says:

        To have his regular vet euthanize my 13 y/O mixed breed (cancer & hip dysplasia) was $600 not counting $120 for cremation. That was the best price locally/by any vet. They screwed up getting the I.v. line, I finally did it. If my farm store can sell distemper and kennel cough vaccines why can’t they sell phenobarbital. He seized as the pushed the euthanol. Making it worse.. A quart costs the vet $99.95 about $6.00 of drugs and materials is used. Locally unless you take the remains they put them in a dumpster.

        If my wife had allowed it would have let him lay in the yard in his favorite spot & take care of it. After seeing the last one our other dog and cats will be taken care at home.

        Unless they are going to offer free or reduced euthanasia its hard enough without trying to come up with $720 I’m this economy. My preneed cremation did not cost as much as some wanted. A friend that’s a funeral director did it at cost as a friend. The pet cremation by the same company was $450 pm top. Over a thousand to euthanize & cremate is standard from what I have been able to find out locally.

        1. avatar Stinkeye says:

          “If my farm store can sell distemper and kennel cough vaccines why can’t they sell phenobarbital.”

          I suspect that’s because drug addicts can’t get high on distemper vaccines.

      6. avatar Paul says:

        define “normal cost”? I’d agree euthanisia is a normal one. But what if my vet told me we could try a 10k treatment that might cure my older dog’s eye problems?

        I still wouldn’t do it, because holy crap 10k, I don’t have it

      7. avatar Marcus (Aurelius) Payne says:

        Consult the 9th amendment, please.

      8. avatar neiowa says:

        Cremate a DOG??? That’s some stupid………… Get a shovel and take care of your pet yourself.

        1. avatar Retired LEO says:

          Depending on your area it may be more illegal to bury a dead animal than anything else. In my county we have choice of cremation, burial in a coffin at an approved pet cemetary or allowing the vet to dispose of. Vet disposal means they put it in the dumpster out back, goes to landfill that has a liner so water table is not contaminated. Fine for buryimg an animal over 3lbs in an unsealed non degradable container is $464 + $464 court costs. Also can’t dispose of oil from a turkey fryer except @ county dump recycling center or sneak it into a restaurant oil bin

    2. avatar Question Authority says:

      AVMA guidelines for euthanasia is used by vets and gunshot is a humane way as long as it is done correctly, the guidelines are simple.

      Another point is that bringing a pet to the vet may not be a humane solution compared to euthanizing an animal yourself, if you can handle the task. The trip to the vet may be incredibly cruel depending on the condition of the pet. Imagine a simple situation where a pet is hit by a car, is terribly injured, but not mortally. I have had to bring a pet to the vet for minor injuries and depending on the day of week and time of day the wait can be in the hours. Fortunately I have not had to euthanize any of my dogs, but I have had to drive long distances and wait long times at vet offices.

      If this guy handled euthanizing the dog irresponsibly it should be on him, not everybody.

  9. avatar Chip Bennett says:

    Yes. Dogs are property. Dogs are not persons, and neither have, nor enjoy protection of, any unalienable human rights. Should farmers not be able to shoot a horse with a broken leg? What about a rabid coyote? Or a feral cat that keeps killing chickens? Why is a dog any different?

    Now, I could argue that treating animals cruelly is an indicator of depravity (and I do make such an argument) – but that would be a moral argument. Otherwise, though: on what basis could one make such a law?

    1. avatar peirsonb says:

      Just because I have to be THAT guy…

      On the same basis they make nearly every other law. Feelings and colors.

  10. avatar Ian says:

    If it is old and sick, yes. If you just seemingly don’t want it anymore like the guy in the story, no. You take on the responsibility of a pet just like child, if you can’t do it that doesn’t mean you can kill it.

    1. avatar schernobyl says:

      A g that repeatedly bites may have issues. I’ve had issues with a dog that even after spending money and time training it the dog continued to bite. Once it bit my 18 month old niece because she was sleeping next to my father. Dog was put down. Sometimes its necessary to put a dangerous dog down. This owner however needs target practice to so it cleanly

    2. avatar Stuki Moi says:

      If you don’t want it anymore, get rid of it humanely. It’s your dog, your problem. Leave others out of it. Others include taxpayers. It’s not like the world’s suffering from a dog shortage.

      Many dogs are bought/bred to do a job, like hunt. It’s fiendishly difficult to tell if they’ll be any good at it when they are just puppies. If they turn out to be largely untrainable, swap them out for a better one. “Breed the good ones, bury the rest” have worked for centuries/millennia wrt animal husbandry.

      Nothing meaningful at all changed in that respect, just because Disney made a killing off of Lassie. Or some barren contraceptive junkie tried to feel better about her biologically useless self, by referring to getting a furry child substitute as “adoption.”

  11. avatar Gunr says:

    If it must be done, then it must be a quick kill.
    I wonder how many posters will say it’s OK to kill your dog, but think it’s OK to let a human suffer an agonizing death that may drag on for months, because they think it’s terrible to let a slowly dying relative die with a medication prescribed by a physician!
    I glad I live in Oregon.

    1. avatar Downrangefuture says:

      We put animals down to spare them the pain. They’re not capable of making the decision themselves (that we know of). Or because they’re dangerous. However it is done, it should be done humanely. And a shovel, a shallow grave, and a single round is much cheaper than the $200-400 they charge at the vet. That being said, in the city there are safety implications.

      With people it should be a personal decision. Robin Williams chose to take his life when he knew that he was slowing going insane. It was a medical condition with no cure. He chose to end his life while he still knew it. That is his decision. I do agree that we should allow people to do this. We should allow doctors to assist in this if they desire to. People could then be educated on the implications for finances and loved ones. Not saying the state should pay for it, at all.

  12. avatar Wolf says:

    I’m not waiting on the county to round up a dangerous animal.

    1. avatar anaxis says:

      Where I live, County Animal Control in regards to feral/dangerous/sick dogs is a 12-guage or a .22mag.

      1. avatar ShaunL. says:

        Same here. On-site euthanasia when necessary.

  13. avatar Jody says:

    Different people have different perceptions on what is humane. Out in rural areas many farmers feel that their dogs and cats are just tools and give them as little thought as the chainsaw.

    others people treat their pets better than their children.

    I don’t know of anyone that would champion the cause of preventing cruelty to rats and cockroaches.

    All i am saying is that there is many sides to this subject and depending on your own background and worldview you will have different thought towards the issue.

    anti hunters will chew on the chicken raised (in my opinion) inhumanly in a box and tell me that shooting my deer is more cruel than it getting chased down by coyotes and eaten from the ass end while it is still alive.

    1. avatar Roymond says:

      I’ve always maintained that of you’re not willing to kill your own, you shouldn’t eat meat.

      As for chicken, they’re not the only animal raised inhumanely only for the purpose of being food. Whenever possible, we should all buy free-range meat, whether chicken, beef, pork, elk, or whatever.

    2. avatar Kendahl says:

      “I don’t know of anyone that would champion the cause of preventing cruelty to rats and cockroaches.”

      That would be PETA.

      1. avatar Stuki Moi says:

        The overriding principle is the same for Rats and roaches as for dogs. And any other animal: You shouldn’t subject them to “unnecessary” cruelty. If a dog threatens your kid and all you have handy is an aerosol canand a lighter, you may end up killing it in a rather cruel manner. And be perfectly justified in doing so. But if your Elkhound just happens to be more interested in livestock than elk, incinerating him alive is, at least in my book, not particularly proper.

        Ditto for rats. Rattraps may be cruel, but until a an effective (including cost) alternative comes around, they are all we’ve got. But capturing rats alive just to drag them home to play Mengele on them, is not acceptable even if they are just rats.

        Make a half reasonable effort to alleviate unnecessary cruelty, and you’re OK regardless of the animal in question. Don’t, and you’re not. Even if it’s “only” a rat.

  14. avatar Mongo says:

    HELL YES! Last time I checked this was still America! But please do it in one clean shot and bury the animal too!

    1. avatar Roymond says:

      When my dog Bammer goes, I hope to give him a “Viking funeral”: thick wooden raft piled with firewood and him on top, sent off on an outgoing tide.

      1. avatar jwm says:

        Let’s see. Air pollution. Check. Water pollution. Check. Arson. Check. Possibility of rare or extotic wood being destroyed in fire. Check.

        Damn, hoss. You’re a one man crime wave. :).

        All kidding around aside. A pet deserves a quick, clean going away at the hands of someone that cared for him and shared the good times. Not a clinical stranger in a scary vets clinic.

        I wish I’d have thought of that viking funeral thing for the Rock Dog.

        1. avatar Garrison Hall says:

          “. . . A pet deserves a quick, clean going away at the hands of someone that cared for him and shared the good times. Not a clinical stranger in a scary vets clinic. . .”

          Or at the very least, you should be in the room to hold your pet while it is being euthanized. It makes a difference for the pet, of course, but it also makes a difference for you.

      2. avatar Stinkeye says:

        I don’t know where you live, but I’ll bet there are at least a dozen laws you’d be breaking if you did that. I’m not saying it wouldn’t be a fitting funeral for a loyal companion, but something tells me that setting a huge bonfire adrift is frowned upon by the authorities…

        1. avatar K-Bizz says:

          It would seem, then, that we have at least a dozen laws too many.

  15. avatar achmed says:

    Of course you should.

    But for God’s sake one well placed round to the head should be all it takes.

    1. avatar Another Robert says:

      And in the right place in the head–some critters have relatively small brains in relatively big heads (think horse or cow)

      1. avatar Timmy! says:

        … or Democrats?

      2. avatar Timmy! says:

        … or Democrats?

  16. avatar RetMSgt in Pa. says:

    As much as I disliked doing it, one shot to the back of the head was far more humane than taking the dog on a half-hour car ride to a strange place to have some stranger stick a needle in the dog. Far less stressful, for the dog, was a walk in the woods, see and smell the country air – and then it’s all over. Not exactly easy on me, but necessary out of concern for the dog.

  17. avatar Rizzy says:

    I had to put my dog down in February and I wish at times I did take him to a place he loved and ended it myself. He was terrified of the vet and always had to be muzzled (which scared him more). He always had an opposite reaction to sedatives to where he wouldn’t relax and fall asleep but instead would panic and anxiously pace and stumble around. I ended up having to hold and restrain him so he’d stop hitting his head on the floor.

    In all honesty, it was more cruel for me to take him there than to do it myself, and I have a hard time with it still.

    Ultimately I think it should be up to the owner as long as it’s all done in the most humane way and with the dog’s comfort in mind. Most of the time it probably should be the vet, but sometimes it can’t be.

  18. avatar matty9 says:

    Grind up a pain pill, mix it with peanut butter, give it to the dog. After the hole is dug, the dog doesn’t really care what you do. A .22 behind the ear is quicker than anything the vet can do. My way is WAY more humane than driving the dog to the vet. The last thing you should make your suffering animal go through is a car ride to the place that took his manhood all those years ago. Fido remembers!!

  19. avatar Adub says:

    If the dumbass had shot it properly, spent five minutes with a shovel to bury it, and not posted about it on Facebook, this wouldn’t be an issue.

    Of course, maybe the dog bit his child, he scolded it before getting his gun, and was impatient enough to shoot at a moving target, but still, posting the news for the whole world full of micro-aggressions and hurt feelings???

    Must not have used a .45…

    1. avatar CRF says:

      Right, because if he had used a .45, there would have been nothing to bury.

  20. avatar Tom in Oregon says:

    I had to do this once. Camping way out in the Mohave desert, my dog got bit by a rattle snake. He was suffering badly.
    A .22 to the back of the head. I cried like a baby.

    1. avatar Avid Reader says:

      I’m with you. I’d do the same. And cry just as much.

  21. avatar Tom in Georgia says:

    There’s really not much to argue here. The bliss ninnies need to buzz off or go eat some lead of their own.

    While I would be absolutely loathe to put down one of my own pets, if I had one, it should be my sole prerogative as head of the house to do so if necessary. And indeed, as it always has been until recently (see bliss ninnies).

    However, 4 shots in this case is lousy shooting, and force of tradition dictates bringing along a shovel and making the effort at a dignified burial instead of simply leaving the remains to the scavengers. But still, not illegal.


  22. avatar Dyspeptic Gunsmith says:

    If you want to see even more inane and insane pecksniffery on this type of subject, bring up the issue of putting down a horse.

    Calling out a vet to put down a horse is a pretty big expense – and if the horse has a broken leg in the mountains (eg, on a pack trip), well, the horse is suffering and the vet is possibly hours away.

    Talk about putting down a horse with a pistol and the women who are horse lovers just come un-freakin’-glued.

    That said, people need to do the job competently, so there is no suffering. It requires some knowledge of anatomy and angles specific to the species.

    1. avatar usmc says:

      My friend in MT had to put down a lame horse 2 years ago, they couldn’t afford to keep taking care of an animal that couldn’t pull it’s own weight around the ranch. They tried to sell it and even offered to give it away if there were any takers, no one else wanted it.

      My friend decided to put the animal down himself and we tought of the most humane way to accomplish this task. We finally settled on 1 API round from my Barrett M107 at a distance of 20 feet. After watching my friend pull the trigger, I can tell you that the horse didn’t even know it was coming and didn’t even twitch after it happened. It was a hard decision that he had to make, but was by far the most humane solution.

      Since there was no way in hell we were going to try and bury a horse, we decided that in death the animal could still be utilized. We used a tractor to move it to another pasture, where it served as coyote bait. My friend spent the next few weeks, after I had left, shooting the dozens of coyotes that came to feed. That horse propably ended up saving a countless number of their sheep and lambs, which in turn, helps secure my friend’s (and his family’s) livelihood.

      There were never any pictures, facebook posts or anything that would have glorified this event; so there was no info for rabid animal rights activists to get all bent out of shape about. What happened, happened. It wasn’t an easy task, but that’s the way the world works.

      1. avatar usmc says:

        Forgot to add, that 1 API round went right to the brain while it was eating. Again, the most humane way we could think of.

        1. avatar Geoff PR says:


          Well, a mare in heat to distract him might have been a nice touch.

          (Think about it. Coming and going at the same time…)


    2. avatar Curtis in IL says:

      I would guess most hunters have sufficient knowledge of mammalian anatomy, along with the necessary firepower, to get the job done humanely. You can kill a 1,500 pound cow with a .22LR if you know where to aim and at what angle. Without that knowledge, both you and the cow will suffer.

  23. avatar derfel cadarn says:

    Dogs , like cattle are wholly owned property. Had the shooter ground the dog and served it as tacos he would have been invited to the White House.

  24. avatar Roymond says:

    Soldiers have been known to do it for each other in wartime. So why shouldn’t I be able to for my dog?

  25. avatar EJQ says:

    If I couldn’t manage it in one shot, and bury the dog, I deserve some punishment. How about at least a fine that would be triple the cost of having the Vet take care to euthanize and cremate?

    1. avatar Stuki Moi says:

      While 4 shots to finish a dog sounds pretty darned hopeless, sending troopers who commonly need 30 shots to hit zero perps and 3 bystanders to administer the fine, doesn’t really make much sense, either. We live in the Age of Incompetence, after all. Can’t expect much of anyone anymore.

    2. avatar ShaunL. says:

      There is one major caveat…. Inexperience. An animal can spasm after death and an inexperienced person may take that as the animal still being alive. I’m not saying this is the case here but I have no evidence the contrary either.

  26. avatar Dale says:

    Cancer got to my dog-buddy of 10 years a few months ago. If it had been up to me we’d have taken a nice walk out into the back woods he knew and loved and then I’d have cleanly taken care of him as I have for other pets in the past (had dogs all my life) and we’d have had a burial.


    The wife wouldn’t accept such an idea, called it brutal. So we took a sick and suffocating dog on 32 minute car ride, where he lost control of bowels and bladder in the car, to the vets, where he was scared and didn’t understand why he was there, and waited for nearly 30 minutes more trying to calm him down. Fortunately my dog really liked the vet and remembered him and calmed right down and it was a quick injection and he was gone in seconds while I held him in my arms.

    Then it was another 15 minutes in the parking lot while my wife and I just lost it.
    Then another half hour drive home during which I was DEFINITELY emotionally compromised and probably not the safest driver on the road, and a bill of $450 total (which for perspective is my take home pay for a week right now).

    All that and I didn’t have a burial site to visit later.

    1. avatar ShaunL. says:

      Sounds like time to have a serious conversation with the wife about this…. Good luck.

      Joking aside… Sorry to hear the story. It always hurts.

  27. avatar Mark Lee says:

    If the local police can shoot your dog just because it has the potential risk of defending the property and lives of the residents, then dog owners should be able to euthanize their animals without question. The guy did use four bullets to make sure the job was done, after all – in this case, it should have only taken one, but shit happens. It is bad enough that he had to do it at all, but for jeezus’ sake, leave the poor guy alone while he figures out how to get a friendlier dog for his family. It’s like everything to do with guns is being portrayed as entirely negative – there is always an upside aspect to every situation and this one was that no one was tragically mauled by an out-of-control dog, the euthanasia was carried out legally and without endangering or even inconveniencing anyone else.

  28. avatar Ian says:

    I have had to put my own dog down before. One clean shot. The dog didn’t even know it happened. No pain, no suffering. He didn’t even have the emotional panic of wondering what was about to happen. I don’t know about you guys, but once my dogs realize they are going to the vet they go into varying degrees of stress induced panic. I can understand the misguided mindset that thinks I am a big, fat, cold hearted, ugly, meanie-faced, bad person for being able to end my friends suffering. It is a really long lasting shitty feeling to have to do it. But the mindset that would force an animal to spend the last moments of it’s life it distressed panic is pretty much the same as a person who would shoot their dog four times and leave it there still clinging to life. Shame on them for wanting to require my dog to suffer as much as the ignoramus who got them all worked up my making his dog suffer.

    As many here have already stated, there are already laws about animal cruelty that apply here. Making more laws isn’t the answer. If the existing laws are not being enforced what good does it do anybody for something to be more illegaler-er?

  29. avatar Noishkel says:

    Even as someone that’s a huge animal advocate this idea is absolutely idiotic. And honestly, you’re already killing your dog… killing them in a sterile environment that always smells like death any better than someone putting a round you in the wood?

  30. avatar Former Water Walker says:

    Of course the “animal rights” wackos don’t like you take your own dog out. Every “being” is equal-A dog, a fish,a lion a BABY(oh wait> not fetal tissue). One shot-clean up your mess and bury your critter…

  31. avatar B Fitts says:

    This is by far one of the most depessing comment sections that I have read on here. I dont like thinking about putting down my Dog when the time comes…

    And putting on the whole Movie of Ole Yeller is just wrong you are going to get me in trouble at work.

  32. avatar Ralph says:

    This is the saddest thread in the history of threads.

  33. avatar Jeffro says:

    read ‘Of Mice and Men’. A man’s gotta do, a man’s job.

  34. avatar Jjimmyjomga says:

    Can one just call the police and they will shoot the dog for free?
    Of note, a friend had to shoot his dog who was his buddy, but bit 2 people, in the face, and was thus not adoptable and a liability, and he shot him in the back of the head on a summers evening…he was broken up and notes it still haunts him today as he was so sad.

  35. avatar lowell says:

    Should you? If you care for your pet you OWE that animal to do this yourself and to make sure it doesn’t suffer.

  36. avatar Sail Hatan says:

    I love my dog, he is family. If and when the time comes I will be the one to do it, I will give him his favorite treat, hugs and kisses and then swift painless death and proper burial.

  37. avatar Wee Liam says:

    I’ve had to do it myself. It’s not pretty or fun, but yes.

  38. avatar ADM says:

    Absolutely, but I also think that this person in particular did it absolutely the wrong way. The difference, I think, is between killing and euthanizing. This man killed his dog. It was not old, ill, or dying. There were other ways for him to deal with what he considered to be an aggressive dog that he regretted adopting. I’d say he was wrong to do what he did.

    But if your dog is ill and dying, there’s no reason you should have to go to [and pay] a vet to do what you could do on your own. I have both friends and family members who have, or who have family who has, euthanized their own animals when the time came. As an example, I have an uncle with 160 acres about half an hour out of town. He’s had to euthanize a couple dogs, and one horse, and he’s done so with a single shot to the head. Short, humane, and his right.

  39. avatar BurleyOleBear says:

    when they start caring enough to start prosecuting cops for shooting dogs we may take them more seriously. Why in the ever-loving world to people always ask for more laws?!?

  40. avatar Anner says:


    Moving on…

  41. avatar Gov. William J. Le Petomane says:

    Congratulations Katie Treamer, you win today’s IOTD award.

  42. avatar TravisP says:

    I’ve never had to put my own dog down, but I have had to put my neighbors’ down for her. She was a widow, living on her husbands VA pension check, she certainly couldn’t afford to take it too a vet, even if it was only 50 dollars. I didn’t even know the dog and it sucked hard.

  43. avatar Goodacre says:

    My dog is a real rascal, but when his time comes I’d like to do him the honour and drive him out by a rural lake, let him watch the birds, and let him go quickly. Yes, a 22lr will be harder for me, but for him there’ll be no cold vet, no scary lights, just warm sunlight bouncing off the water.

    It shouldn’t be anyone’s business how an animal dies, but if at human hands it should be humane.

  44. avatar I'mRonBurgundy? says:

    Yes. Your dog is your property, and exactly nobody else’s property. Do it humanly, just put one in the back of the head. While we’re at it, let’s end the double standard between dogs owned by Citizens and police dogs. Police dogs are search tools and semi-autonomous weapons, not human officers, and therefore they are not subject to the same legal protections as humans.

  45. avatar Model 31 says:

    Our retriever had to be put down a couple of years ago so the night before I dug a shallow grave. After a “pig in a blankets” breakfast, we loaded up in the pickup for a wind in the face drive that ended up at the vets office. He came out to the truck, told me she may hallucinate, bark, growl or bite me but in the end, she exhaled and that was it. Everything I ever taught her was in that brain so I would have hated to put a round there. If she had been hollering in pain with no other option, I would have had to.
    When I went back to the vets office the next morning to settle up, the girl in the front said there was no charge. It may be I’ve got enough dogs to be on a first name basis with all the vets in the office but I gotta ask. Where do ya’lls vets get off charging more than $50 for this service?

    1. avatar Avid Reader says:

      I’ve known many vets that do it for free. Or ask that you make a donation to a local shelter, which I think is eminently fair. It really depends on the vet.

  46. avatar Wood says:

    Some people are just permanently aggrieved, always on the lookout for the next thing to be offended by. Fvck ’em.

  47. avatar Getfreight says:

    From a legal standpoint I would think that people purchase their pets. Purchasing means they are property. I have the right to dispose of my property as I see fit.

    Everything else is between you, the dog, and the higher power of your choice.

    So yes, you should be able to.

  48. avatar Wade says:

    Doesn`t matter if I am *allowed* to or not. I have, and will continue to shoot a dog as circumstances dictate. They can cry, moan and draw up rules to their heart`s content. I`m pretty much done listening or obeying any new laws or regulations. No matter what level they are drawn up at.

  49. avatar Retired LEO says:

    Stinkeye if they can get high on phenobarbital, Valium and potassium chloride more power to them. Same cocktail they use to administer for executions. Phenobarbital is in a lot of exempt narcotics, sign for syringes on the bound book. The Valium is to keep them from seizing.

  50. avatar Boyd says:

    If it does become a felony would it also be a felony to put down a cow or some farm animal if it got attacked by coyotes in the middle of the night and the animal is suffering on the ground.

  51. avatar Charlie says:

    The owner is right, but it is his duty to do a good job. Nobody likes to euthanize a pet, but pentobarb is generally unavailable to the public, and firearms may be the best option for an aggressive dog.

    The best dog I ever had was a Catahoula Cur. She was a family member for 15 years, and my kids best friend. One day she threw an embolism (or something) and started walking into walls. We consulted the vet and he recommended putting her down. He gave us a syriinge containing Nembutal (sodium pentobarb, 100 mg/ml). The recommended dose is 100mg/kg, and this was a 50 lb dog, so the syringe contained 25 ml. We brought her to a shady spot in the back yard, petted her, and told her that she was a good girl. And then we injected the Pentobarb IP and sang to her while she went to sleep. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done.

    When the need arises–and it does–you must be able too shoot your own dog. Don’t farm it out–that doesn’t make it nicer, it makes it worse.” – RAH

  52. avatar neiowa says:

    I keep thinking if only Bill and Hillary.

  53. avatar Garrison Hall says:

    Not really on topic, but appropriate nonetheless . . .

  54. avatar Garrison Hall says:

    Not really on topic but appropriate nonetheless . . .

  55. avatar Glenux says:

    Oh my God.

    Now I got to watch Old Yeller again.

    And I know I am going to cry.

    Thanks guys.

  56. avatar gsnyder says:

    One shot close range to put the animal out of its misery, this is as humane as it gets, yes, allow. If they dislike they best get to the stockyards and all other meat-producing plants because they are going to be busy. Hand-held gun to kill steer for slaughter? Chickens-chop chop. Hogs bang or bleed out. These Bruno people need to stay away from society as they are not in touch with the real world.

  57. avatar Hamster in a Wheel says:

    I find it interesting that some people have a harder time thinking about putting down a dumb animal than their fellow man.
    Of course we should be able to put down our own animals.
    Easiest question ever.

  58. avatar PeterK says:

    Oh come on, people. The gun was not the problem here!

    Anyway, to answer the question, yes. You probably should. And hopefully you are intelligent enough to do it properly unlock this story.

    Mostly people should take the animal to the vet, though.

  59. avatar tsbhoA.P.jr says:

    thousands of pups were already drowned at birth to create the purebreeds.
    i gladly volunteered the $250 to euthanise my mom’s siamese. what a racket those things make.
    o’beid had a gun shy blue tick that his kids fell in love with. he said, “nothin’ 9 cents worth of ammo wouldn’t cure…”

  60. avatar Carsickplatypus says:

    The people writing comments about how they have no problem with people shooting their own dogs are probably the same types of people that leave their dogs chained up outside all day. Dogs are such loyal, loving, and trusting creatures. Why would you want to be so needlessly cruel to them? I put a lot of effort into buying a properly bred dog; then I put a lot of effort into properly training that dog; then that dog becomes almost like my own kid. There’s no way in hell I’d ever shoot my own dog, unless it was ruthlessly attacking someone and I had no other choice. When my first dog died, it was one of the most traumatizing experiences in my entire life. Yet you guys act like it’s as easy as taking out the garbage.

    1. avatar Chip Bennett says:

      You must be reading a different comments section than I am.


      Who here said that they would have “no problem” shooting their own dogs? Anyone? Beuller?


      Shooting a dog that is rabid, sick, injured, etc. is not a matter of cruelty. In some cases, it is a matter of putting a beloved companion out of its misery. In other cases, it is a painful decision due to the threat that the dog presents to actual humans (such as a dog that, for whatever reason, cannot be trained not to attack children).

      There is nothing inherently cruel about shooting a dog that needs to be put down – and in fact, having read the comments, I am certain that every person here would consider the dog’s death a considerable loss, even though it was necessary.

      I put a lot of effort into buying a properly bred dog…

      I prefer rescued pets, but to each his own.


      Agreed – but only almost. If the dog forces a decision between it and the safety of your actual children, there would be no hesitation regarding making the right decision.


      So, you have no problem with self-defense – just with euthanization?


      Everyone here shares in your traumatization. The last pet I had to have put to sleep was a 12-14 year old rescued cat. She suffered two strokes, and could no longer even eat. I took her to the vet and had her put to sleep. She died in my arms, peacefully, as I sobbed.

      Everyone here understands that pain.

      Yet you guys act like it’s easy as taking out the garbage.

      Yes, you’re definitely reading a different comment thread than I am.

      The question at hand is not how we as individuals should treat our pets, but rather what should be codified in law. Law should be based on objectivity, not on emotion.

      1. avatar Roymond says:

        Well said, Chip!

    2. avatar ShaunL. says:

      “There’s no way in hell I’d ever shoot my own dog”

      Good for you. Some of us ,though, ARE able and willing to do what is necessary no matter how much it may hurt. I feel I OWE my dogs that respect and loyalty for the loyalty they’ve shown me through the years. Just because YOU can’t stifle your emotions long enough to do what needs to be done does NOT make it wrong.

      You feel free to keep your fingers in your ears while you buy meat at the supermarket and pretend life is all sunshine and rainbows. Keep telling yourself it’s different because you never met the cow. To me, the only difference between my dogs and my livestock is that we bury the dogs and eat the livestock. I on the other hand will continue to fill my freezer with meat I raised and cared for, in the best possible environment I could provide and put down in the most humane way I know. I’ll also continue to RESPECT my dogs when the time comes by doing one of the most horrible things I can imagine FOR THEM.

      Most of us don’t WANT to do this but we realize it’s not always about us.

      Get over yourself.

  61. avatar ShaunL. says:

    After re-reading the comments section here, 2 things pop out at me.

    1. The POTG represent themselves VERY well here(with very few exceptions) IMO as caring, responsible people willing to make the hard choice when necessary. It’s good to see.

    2. Another reason for the anti-euthanasia-by-bullet mental illness just struck me: It may be that some of these people believe NO MATTER WHAT there can be no “good”, “responsible” or “proper” use for a firearm.

  62. avatar John H. says:

    I think HIS method was very inhumane. If an animal is to be put down by its OWNER it should be done with as few shots as humanly possible and in the quickest fashion possible. A .22 caliber bullet, 7 times to the torso? No. However a .57 Magnum to the base of the neck, YES. This is as quick and just as painless on the animal as veterinarian euthanasia. The dog will not even hear the click of the gun if you make its last moments similar to that of Lenny and George (Of Mice And Men). I believe any animal owner (and lover) has the right to terminate their best friends life in the most peaceful and loving way that they can, whether that be holding the animal close when the vet delivers that fatal shot, or holding the animal close when YOU (the owner and friend) deliver that “shot”.

    Many animals, including my own golden retriever dog, freak the **** out when en route to the vet, so I CAN see this as being a traumatizing experience for an old, sick, animal. However a pleasant walk to the field behind someone’s property and a walk through the woods searching for our favorite animals and treats may lead an animal to believe that in its last moments that it is indeed loved very much by the human it has entrusted its care to. And speaking for myself, I take my animals care as seriously as I take my own. I would never subject my own dog to go through that one final trip to the vet, when the animal knows it’s sick and can’t please its owner anymore. I dread the day I will have to take my own dogs life, but coming from a grade A pure blood, bonified American, I will treat with the same honor and respect that I hope someone someday will give to me in my time of age. God bless Mans Best Friend.

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