YORK, Maine — A local hunter has been charged in the fatal shooting of a family dog in this southern Maine community.
Thirty-nine-year-old Gregory Brown, who has been charged with shooting a domestic animal, said he mistook the dog for a coyote.
Matthew and Heather Henriksen of York said their 5-year-old mixed-breed dog bled to death on Dec. 27 after a bullet from a .22-caliber rifle severed an artery on its back leg. They said they were walking with the dog on a trail behind their home when the dog ran ahead and was shot.
The Portsmouth Herald reports that Brown told wardens he was hunting red squirrel in a wooded area behind the Henriksens’ home when he mistook the dog for a coyote. It’s legal to hunt red squirrels and coyotes year-round.
The Maine Warden Service says Brown faces criminal charges that carry a fine.
This incident was at least the fourth time a dog has been shot by a hunter this year.
Steven Barrows, 50, of Westbrook was issued a summons in November on a charge of shooting a domesticated animal after reportedly shooting a dog on the last day of deer season.
Barrows, who had been hunting in Standish, also told authorities he thought the dog was a coyote. Game wardens said the the Siberian husky had slipped out of its harness and ran into woods near its home.
Also in November, the Maine Warden Service charged a Dixfield man with shooting a domestic animal after he reportedly shot and killed a dog that was out in the woods with its owner in Magalloway Plantation. Christopher J. Salatino was hunting deer in the Oxford County community.
The dog was accompanied by its owner, Cindy Williams, who is a forester from Errol, N.H., a warden service spokesman said at the time. The dog reportedly had a hunter orange ribbon around its neck when the incident occurred on Nov. 2.
Salatino told investigators from the Maine Warden Service that he thought the German shepherd was a coyote.
And another man, from Orrington, also was charged in November with shooting a domestic animal.
The dog was running loose in the woods when it was shot by Seth White, 53, according to DIF&W spokeswoman Edie Smith. White also said he thought the dog was a coyote.
White had been hunting in an area of Orrington with the permission of the landowner.
The dog’s body was found in a wooded area late Wednesday afternoon by a farmer who was walking his own dog.
The BDN contributed to this report.
As he should be !
Let this be a lesson to those who suffer from “coyote phobia.”
He shoulda worked for the Massachusetts State Police.
YESSSSSSSS!! Thats Right!!!
Once again, another family gets to deal with with a devastating loss. Hunters please accord more discipline out there. Owners please put some orange or other bright color somewhere on your animal even if it’s to help those who struggle with lose who lack the ability to identify.
Ok this is getting to be a little ridiculous. That dog looks nothing like a coyote! He shot it just to shoot something. Its becoming the same excuse as a driver of a car running into a motorcycle saying “I didnt see him”. Charge him take away any hunting license for 10 years and make him buy them a new dog.
If he is getting charged then why isn’t the state trooper being charged with shooting the lady walking with her dogs???? Because he is a trooper??? Hmmmmm. If it were a regular person, they would not only have a fine but would also loose their hunting license for who knows how long.
If you’ve spent any time in the woods (or watching television for that matter) it’s pretty tough to confuse most domestic dogs with coyotes. The good news is I doubt that all of these guys are ignorant enough to have mistaken the dogs for coyotes…most likely they’re just liars. I’ve known several fellow hunters who claim they’ll shoot any dog they see running loose in the woods because “they’re probably running deer.” Claiming they mistook the dog for a coyote after they get caught is just easier than admitting they did it on purpose…both to the law and when faced with a tearful owner.
we actually have coyotes in our backfield. But I agree. Some hunters just want to shoot something, so they shoot the first moving thing they see. Good thing it wasn’t a person.
My take on this: one strike and you are out. Get these shooters out of the woods. They are not hunters- they are felons and should be kept from owning or using firearms…and archery equipment… for life. Sometime, read the recent news accounts of a Mass State Trooper who recently shot a woman walking her dogs. Law enforcement said it was an “accident”. That’s Mass for ya!
Mistaking a dog for a coyote is dumb and reckless, but I don’t think that puts him on the same level as a violent criminal.
One thing that’s never brought up is that dogs are usually wearing collars and tags…which jingle like crazy when they move. Between their licenses, their rabies tags, and their ID tags, my dogs are noisy even when they’re not barking, and if they see/hear anyone else in the woods, they’re barking.
These hunters didn’t even bother to listen for ten seconds before pulling the trigger?
Bad hunters in bad moods just shooting at anything because they’re frustrated. Take their licenses away before the responsible hunters are affected by their actions.
I think the fact that coyotes and squirrels can be shot year round is the real issue here. If someone cannot walk in the woods, near their home, or anywhere for that matter, without the possibility of a tragedy such as this because of legal hunting at all times, is ludicrous at best. Killing a dog is bad enough but suppose it was one of the kids. These kind of hunting laws should be repealed! We need to know when and, in fact, that it is safe to walk in our woods without fear of walking into a situation like this. If there needs to be killing of coyotes, which I don’t think there is personally or scientifically except in certain circumstances, then put a season on it as well as for squirrels or any other creature. That will make us all safer. A hunter that cannot tell a black and white dog from a coyote should not be in the woods with a gun! Isn’t there a test of some kind to determine whether one is actually capable or deserving of being allowed that privilege? If not, there should be. This whole incident was preventable.
I do agree that shooting a dog is inexcusable, but you have more of a chance of being killed or maimed everyday while driving.
Being afraid to walk in the woods is rediculous.
Driving IS the most dangerous pastime.
If you are afraid of being killed by someone stay out of your car. Six people were killed on Maine highways just last weekend. Everytime you see headlights heading your way you are close to being killed.
Walking in the woods is a leisurely past-time which I should be able to enjoy without even thinking about the possibility of being shot by an irresponsible hunter. Driving in Maine is a necessity. If I could take mass transit to town I would but that option does not exist. Where I grew up in New York State, there were buses to everywhere. So yes, driving is more dangerous but I personally don’t have a choice.
Why do we need an open season on any creature that inhabits the woods which gives anyone with a gun the right to shoot at anytime of day and probably at night (I don’t know perhaps you can only shoot coons at night) Is that really necessary? Please let us not even argue the evil coyote issue. Squirrels are part of the food chain and we really don’t need to eradicate them. The coyotes, hawks, feral cats, and cars seem to be capable of handling an overabundance of them should they become a problem. It was this article that gives me pause. I did not know that one could still be in the woods with guns. I celebrate the end of deer season because I naively thought that it was the end of gun season.
you thought wrong. Maybe you should go home…
Oh gawd help us.
“The Maine Warden Service says Brown faces criminal charges that carry a fine.”
-Oh good. At least the state can profit off of this incident. This isn’t justice. How about the family? The government profits off of every tragedy where they can extort some funds from the perps. How about the victims? They should confiscate this mans rifle, sell it and take the money and replace the dog. I realize they might not want a replacement and you can never replace a lost family member, but a fine? Please. There is no incentive for these people to take more care in the woods. If your property was a risk of being confiscated for your carelessness I bet more people would take the time to identify their target. My two cents..
Hold a lottery. The proceeds go to the family, the winner gets to shoot the bad man. He has no morals. Put him down.
OK, let me get this right…this man gets charged with shooting a dog he thought was a wolf, while recently a state trooper off duty shot a human being he mistook for a deer and he has no charges…what is wrong with this picture?