Parts of the Michigan Dog Law are mercilessly precise.
Section 19 says, in part, “Any person including a law enforcement officer may kill any dog which he sees in the act of pursuing, worrying, or wounding any livestock or poultry or attacking persons, and there shall be no liability on such person in damages or otherwise, for such killing.”
That is apparently what happened to Marty, the shepherd-huskie mix that came home with two crossbow bolts in his head. He was one of two dogs that got loose from their home near Lexington. When Marty was recovered, he was grievously injured.
The dog is alive and mostly recovered today.
And because he was injured while attacking a farmer’s goats, that is the end of the story.
“Accordingly, as the evidence tends to support the person’s story that the dog was in the act of attacking his goats at the time that he shot at it, if proven true, he would have a legal justification for his action,” Sanilac County Prosecutor James V. Young decided. “As there is no evidence to the contrary, criminal prosecution is not available. The deputies who investigated the case have stated they agree with this determination.”
Not everyone agrees.
Certainly, the farmer’s choice of weapon and its effectiveness left something to be desired. And a good neighbor wouldn’t use lethal means if he didn’t have to.
True, arrows left protruding from the dog’s head was a gruesome, chilling image. On the other hand, critics need to remember that the dog has been reunited with its owners and is largely recovered from its ordeal. A more humane and more effective weapon would not have allowed that.
There is good news for Marty this time. We assume his almost-fatal wanderings were an isolated incident and that his owners always keep him safely at home. His next straying might not turn out as happily.
That, as Young pointed out, is the moral of this story: “While it is fortunate that the dog is expected to recover, this case serves as a good reminder that it is a dog owner’s responsibility to keep the dog safely at home so that incidents like this do not occur.”
The Michigan Dog Law was written in recognition of the damage that dogs can do. Beyond giving livestock owners blanket authority to stop attacks on their animals, the law obligates pet owners and the county to keep dogs under control. A dog trespassing on another’s property is a crime and the owner can be liable for damages.
If Marty had succeeded in killing the goats, Sanilac County taxpayers might have been on the hook for compensating the farmer for his loss. Taxpayers temper their sympathy when they get the bill for Marty’s misdeeds.