hardisonink/police.html Adam Cowart, 29, of 204 N.E. Fifth St., Chiefland, shot and killed his pit bull after his neighbor wounded it Sunday night (Oct. 20), Chief Douglas said. The death of the dog ends a week of instances where two of Cowarts dogs left that pet owners property, according to records. Richard Gerald, 45, of 106 N.E. Fifth St., Chiefland, first called the city for assistance on Friday (Oct. 12). Although the city government is closed on Fridays now, Lt. Bolton said, a city maintenance worker responded. Gerald called about two loose dogs coming onto his property, where his dog was tethered. She was in heat. On Saturday (Oct. 13), CPD Officer Blake Murphy responded to Geralds house because the two dogs were back, according to records. Officer Murphy saw the two dogs had left Geralds property but were loose in Cowarts yard. Cowart was not home but a neighbor volunteered to secure them in the backyard. I left a note on the back of my business card, Murphy wrote in his report, advising that I had come by and the dogs need to be secured at all times. The officer left the note in the door jam, he said. On Sunday at 4:30 p.m., CPD records show, Adam and Ashley Cowart called to complain to the CPD. Officer James Yanok responded, and Sgt. D.J. Macy was involved too. Adam Cowart said his dog came home with a head wound from what appeared to be a machete, the report showed. Yanok went to speak with Gerald. The homeowner said he heard a car honking outside and he saw that his daughter and James Foster were beeping the horn in the driveway. He went out and saw two brown dogs showing aggression toward his leashed dog, which was in his yard, the report showed. The homeowner repeatedly yelled for the dogs to go away and he tried to chase them away. Both dogs left at first, but one returned and growled at him and then charged at him, CPD records show the property owner told police. When the dog lunged for him, he struck it once in the head with a machete and it left, records showed. We have ordinances just for this purpose, Chief Douglas said. We live in the city. We have rules here. Dogs are to be contained on a leash. Lt. Bolton said the city could cite Cowart for violation of the animal ordinance. Running at large is prohibited, according to the municipal law. State law requires rabies vaccinations. Bolton said the CPD opted against giving Cowart a ticket. City Manager Kevin Gay said it is a travesty that the dog had to be stopped from attacking a man who was on his own property, but he questioned the dog owners choice of killing the animal before visiting a veterinarian to see if the wound could have been healed. Gay said the dog had the sense and ability to make it home before it was shot to death by Cowart.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 04:03:30 +0000
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