Terrace Heights dog shot, killed on walk: Neighbors still outraged
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TERRACE HEIGHTS, Wash. -- It's been almost 2 weeks since a Terrace Heights family's companion was shot for wandering into a neighbor's yard while out on a walk with its owner.
Residents are now outraged and tell KIMA they're scared for their safety.
"We heard this loud kaboom and my heart just sunk," said Mardi Hackett, whose dog was killed.
Marty says her dog Ginger was off the leash and wandered ahead of her.
She's still haunted by what she saw next.
"I was in shock, I screamed," Hackett said.
Ginger ventured into a neighbor's backyard. The property owner said the family's pet duck was being attacked and shot the dog to death.
Animal control told KIMA the owner had every right to kill the dog because the duck was being threatened.
"I just miss her so desperately. It’s hard to walk around the house and not have her at my heels," said Hackett.
There is no leash law in Yakima County, but owners are required to keep their pets under control. Many neighbors believe killing the dog was too extreme.
"The last one is self-explanatory." said neighbor Stephanie Fleming, pointing to a sign she made. "I mean the guy is a dog killer."
Stephanie Fleming put up signs where the dog was shot to warn other neighbors.
"There are people who don't even want their kids to go out and play anymore because they're afraid of what this guy is going to do," said Fleming.
To get all sides, KIMA spoke with the man who shot the dog. He wouldn't talk on camera, but told Action News he tried to shoo the dog away first.
The family allowed us to come into their backyard and get a view from the other side of the fence. The property owner says this wasn't just any duck; it was part of the family and hatched in their granddaughter's classroom.
Neighbors say that's no excuse.
"I'm going to put more signs out and I'll put signs out until I make him so uncomfortable that the next time this happens he needs to think twice before taking such extreme actions," said Fleming.
Actions that took away one family's pet and divided this neighborhood.
Animal control officers tell KIMA the man who shot the dog has the right to press charges, but decided not to.
The property owner said one of his ducks had already been killed and didn't want it to happen again.
Residents are now outraged and tell KIMA they're scared for their safety.
"We heard this loud kaboom and my heart just sunk," said Mardi Hackett, whose dog was killed.
Marty says her dog Ginger was off the leash and wandered ahead of her.
She's still haunted by what she saw next.
"I was in shock, I screamed," Hackett said.
Ginger ventured into a neighbor's backyard. The property owner said the family's pet duck was being attacked and shot the dog to death.
Animal control told KIMA the owner had every right to kill the dog because the duck was being threatened.
"I just miss her so desperately. It’s hard to walk around the house and not have her at my heels," said Hackett.
There is no leash law in Yakima County, but owners are required to keep their pets under control. Many neighbors believe killing the dog was too extreme.
"The last one is self-explanatory." said neighbor Stephanie Fleming, pointing to a sign she made. "I mean the guy is a dog killer."
Stephanie Fleming put up signs where the dog was shot to warn other neighbors.
"There are people who don't even want their kids to go out and play anymore because they're afraid of what this guy is going to do," said Fleming.
To get all sides, KIMA spoke with the man who shot the dog. He wouldn't talk on camera, but told Action News he tried to shoo the dog away first.
The family allowed us to come into their backyard and get a view from the other side of the fence. The property owner says this wasn't just any duck; it was part of the family and hatched in their granddaughter's classroom.
Neighbors say that's no excuse.
"I'm going to put more signs out and I'll put signs out until I make him so uncomfortable that the next time this happens he needs to think twice before taking such extreme actions," said Fleming.
Actions that took away one family's pet and divided this neighborhood.
Animal control officers tell KIMA the man who shot the dog has the right to press charges, but decided not to.
The property owner said one of his ducks had already been killed and didn't want it to happen again.
So, you were walking your dog, and it got into a neighbors yard, and you arent even close enough to see what happened. Is that controlling your dog. This is not a responsible way to keep ypur pets. Anywhere you go, you are to be under control of your animal, or be on a leash. How can you be that far away?
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I feel sorry for the dog, it didn't have a chance with owners that are so irresponsible to not keep it under control, even in a residential neighborhood. I suppose if it ran in front of a car, it would be the drivers fault if they didn't swerve and kill someone instead.Â
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That is why the owner has the right to protect property and his animals on HIS property.
 @HYDE You're telling it like it's perfectly natural for a dog at large to become free game for any creep who would like to kill it for sport.
@ArtB @HYDE When can I bring my horse over to your house and trample your shrubs and eat your wood fences (she loves to "crib"). It isnt legal to do that, but why is it legal to let a dog run free in an area where they can attack another pet? From what the article said, the dog was attacking the duck, which is what dogs will do. So if anyone else was there to witness what happened, they should of said something to the Sheriff.
I don't not own a dog, but I have dog crap in my yard almost every day. And just last week a dog chewed a hole in the neck of my cat, so I don't need to tell you how I feel about people taking dogs for walks and letting them run around to do their thing.
Somebody in that neighborhood is going to have duck tomorrow instead of turkey.
It seems that the neighbors have long known the creepy killer for what he was. And I am astonished by the flock of gloating sociopaths, residing elsewhere, who descended here to support him. It's as though they are glad that someone made their sick fantasies come true.
You people are astonishing, all of you. This is not a farm but a golf course home with a duck- clipped wings- can't fly away to protect it's self. The dog, timid- about as aggressive as a hamster- rescued from the pound. The bitter old man, Walter Reiber- swore to shoot any dog that walked on his property and has threatened to do the same to children who run into his yard. He is a liar- "tried to shoo the dog away"? If you believe this loan me $10,000 and I will give you 25% on your investment by weeks end.  Walt is a killer and a hypocrite. Discharging a weapon in a residential neighborhood with children and golfers everywhere. Not against county law but reckless and malevolent. And all this empathy for a pet owner who kills other peoples pets under the pretext of defense is sickening. His statement to the Sherriff, 'the dog had the bird in its mouth, feathers everywhere' is a complete fabrication. You can see that the feathers on his property are from the molting process at the bird's nest- not from any attact. The duck in this video is in good health. Raises a question. Why is the bird alive and the dog dead after a shotgun blast. That duck shows no evidence of being licked by a dog let along attacked by one. Mr. Reiber, as a former teacher, how can you justify your actions? You set an extremely poor example for today's youth. You are a disgusting example of the human race. And the rest of you are not only gullable but ignorant to boot. The only thing that duck is good for is to dress my rotisserie this Thanksgiving.
 @Bio PhD Sounds like a redneck paradise. Who knew?
 @ArtB A redneck paradise on a private country club and golf course. Who would have thought?
 @Bio PhDÂ
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 And another thing, a Bio PHD should have mentioned that all domestic dogs lineage can be traced directly back to the wolf. This is taught in the first semester of Bio-physiology class in college. These "instincts" are not taught, but the animals are born with them. It is a known behavior trait to all dogs. Its a fact. Â
This hunter/killer predator is and always has been, at the top of the food chain. It's called "instinct". All dogs (and cats) will prefer to eat meat, if given the choice, and will actively hunt and kill game, especially if it is live, and try's to flee.Â
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 Having said that, the instinct to "hunt" has NOT been bred out of the dog. The irrefutable fact(s) are that:
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A: The dog entered the duck owners property into a fenced yard
B: Â The dog attacked the duck
C: The duck had already had one duck killed by a dog
D: The owner of the dog (by law) had a right to protect his stock
E: The owner of the dog was/is responsible for the dogs behavior
F: The duck owner protected his/her right to protect his stock
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Regardless of the physical evidence as reported by a Bio PHD who wasn't even there, the events as transpired are clearly evident, and cannot be explained away by conjecture.
Mr. Fredricks and the others,
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Much appreciation for some intellectual posting regarding this issue. You DO raise some excellent points and I agree the owner has the right to defend his property, family & stock, however, in 'this' situation that is no the case. I may have not been there that day but I did interview the family, the responding Sherriff, both of his superiors and the County Prosecuter.
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A lot is not being said by the media here. For example it is not known that Mr. Reiber, the shooter, refused to allow the dog owner to collect her dog after he killed it. He instead had a neighbor wrap the dog in a plastic bag. The officer responding, Randy Sutton (a complete Neanderthal by the way) did not even bother to phyically examine the dead dog he looked in the back yard saw the nesting feathers and a living duck and a dog in a bag and had the animal sent away. He did not even confirm the killers story.
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A shotgun would have killed the bird if in the dog's mouth or there would be physical injury to the duck if attacked by the dog but that is not the case. More likely, this dog killer just decided to shoot the dog for sport and claims defense. Not reported, Mr, Reiber stated he woulf shoot the next dogto come on his property.
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I know this dog and it cowers when approached-It was an abused dog rescued from the shelter- medium sized not any bigger than the duck, which looks more like a goose. So in response:
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A: the dog did wandered onto the ownerâs property- so what dogs do that all time and it does not warrant murder
B: There is ABSOUTELY no proof the dog attacked the bird. The dog had been in front of the owner for all of 3 minutes.
C: The shooter did have a duck killed in the past and if he was so concerned about it's safety he could have fenced his yard to not keep helpless, clipped wing birds on open property.
D: No one is arguing the law here. It is an archaic law dating back to older an time when families grew their food but that is another discussion all together.
E: The owner is responsible for the dog and there is no leash law in the county so, what. Which leads back to B. There is no proof the dog attacked. That duck is alive without a scratch from either a dog or a shotgun.
F: Mr. Reiber did not protect anything. He shot a dog for pleasure and cries protection. If the Sherriff had done their job they would have investigated further to corroborate the story. Maybe then the truth would be revealed.
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Guess what I'm having for dinner tonight...
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 Turkey!
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@Bio PhD you keep putting the responsiblity on the duck owner. " the dog did wandered onto the ownerâs property- so what dogs do that all time", "The dog had been in front of the owner for all of 3 minutes.", "The shooter did have a duck killed in the past and if he was so concerned about it's safety he could have fenced his yard", all of these statements are the problem. "dogs do that all the time????" that's a big problem and is the burden of the dog owner. The dog was "3 minutes" in front of the owner? So the owner could not even see the dog at the time of the alleged attack? Hard to defend.Â
It apalls me that you people do not regaurd a duck as a pet to be as important as a dog as a pet. That duck is the family pet just like any dog or cat. He didn't come onto the dog owner's property, the dog went onto his.Â
Keep your dogs on a leash and out of his yard and I gaurentee this "killer" will never kill again.Â
And this on the heals of . . .how many people have been killed by "pet" dogs in Washington state in the last year? Talk about killers.
 @Charles Fredericks  @Bio PhD Really?  So you were there too, I suppose?  You seem so certain of yourself, yet you disregard the fact that the yard was not fenced.  Kindly explain (C) to me:  "The duck already had a duck killed?"  Whaaaaat?
 @Bio PhDÂ
 "Educated" Intellectual explanations don't always make it right, but it sounds good.
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  From the looks of the dog, it couldn't have been a nicer, more gentler looking dog. And I do feel bad for the family.
 But let me tell you a real story, and it happened right here in Yakima, 2 yrs ago. We live in a nice neighborhood. Our neighbor had two dogs, a St. Bernard, and a dog that looked like the one shot. These two dogs often ran free. One day, my two children came in the house screaming, terrified. They were sledding in our yard, and the two "harmless looking" dogs had attacked them. The older child had to beat off the dogs attacking the younger child, and they barely made it to the house with their lives. I grabbed a gun, and went after the dogs. After a huge chase, a managed to rope the one, and the other stayed by. Eventually I roped them both. Being a good neighbor, I put them in the truck, and went door to door until I found the owner. During the chase, I managed to take some pictures of the dog in our yard, and beyond to prove my case. Anyway the neighbor denied all charges, and I released the dogs to him, and warned him "this will be the last time". Because the neighbor was in denial, I called the Sheriff. The Sheriff came out, and told me "I made a huge mistake"..what was that I asked?  He said you should have shot them on the spot. As I have kids, and my neighbor has cows, looking back, it's what i should have done. Being a responsible pet owner i have dogs too. I told my neighbor who has stock: "if you catch my dogs attacking your stock, shoot them"  And I mean it. I am willing to accept responsibility for my dogs actions, and expect the worse if it attacks stock. If you are unwilling to do that, then you shouldn't own a dog. End of story...
The duck owner had every right to defend his own pet. The dog owner should have kept her animal under control and off of other people's property. The neighbor with the signs is being absurd and unfair.Â
 @Rebecca Brown Madam Brown, you seem to conveniently forget that the shooter's story doesn't add up. Your own statements also sound disingenuous.
 @Rebecca BrownÂ
The gentleman with the Ducks has Every right to do what he Did. I would've did the Same. Please keep your Dog on a Leash. Next time it could be a dog attacking a Child. Instead of making Childish "Signs", maybe they can get the guy a New Duck.
 @LCfamily It was the creepy shooter who threatened to harm children. "Gentleman" my arse.
 @LCfamily You must not be familiar with the full story then. He did issue those threats.
@ArtB Threaten children???....lol. Wow, your Story is getting Longer and longer. I'd like to hear what you people ADD next...lol.- ArtB, do you even Live in the neighborhood? Know the gentleman who Shot the dog? Why wasn't YOU interviewed on the news? It sounds like you and ONE other person on here are the Only ones stirring up trouble on here. Dogs will be Dogs. No matter WHO owns them. Keep them On a Leash!!
This gentleman was totally in the right to shoot that dog. This is an aggressive animal that was illegally unleashed that was attacking his livestock on his property.
 @Olen Teston Aggressive animal?  How do you know?  Were you there?  This dog would not have harmed a fly.  I know kids related to this family that are still in tears over this dog's death.  What a nutcase.
 @Olen Teston Aggressive animal?  How do you know?  Were you there?  I know kids related to this family that are still in tears over this dog's death.  What a nutcase.
The right to protect your stock goes back two century's. It's the law of the land, and always has been.Â
Feel sorry for the dog Because I,m an animal lover ,,,But at the same time I think the duck owner was in his right to do this because the loose dog got into his property,,,Put your selves in this mans shoes If you have a pet of any kind in your back yard ,,,A dog gets into your backyard and goes after your pet ,,,If you have a gun ,,You would most likely do the same thing this man did,,,
Control your dog lady. I would of killed it too! As a famer, and as a mother of three, I think if your dog is going to attack my animals, then whats to stop it from attacking my kids.  If you love your doggy so much put it on a leash. People need to have more consideration for farm animals. We spend a lot of money, and time to raise good animals. We don't do it to have them wasted on some uncontrolled dog. I am so sorry for this duck owner. You did what you had to do.Â
 @Nancy Remind me never to let my kids walk anywhere near your yard.  The dog was not attacking the duck, period.  If the dog was anywhere near the duck, the duck would have also been harmed by the shotgun blast.  You need to get your facts straight before believing the gun owner's story.
@El Dorado @Nancy "shotgun blast" ok as a retired member of the sheriffs dept locally I know a bit about shotgun blasts. Do you? Angle of the shot? Pattern of pellet dispersal? Distance from shooter to target? All of these things and more could and would affect the damage from the shot.  It's very easy to concieve the dog being hit and the duck left unharmed if the duck was in the dog's mouth. This simply is not a valid point. Sorry.
I feel bad for the duck owner. I used to have pet chickens & neighbor dogs came over & killed them. The dog owners expected me to do nothing about it because those were their dogs & my chickens were just chickens. They didn't want to tie their dogs up but didn't have the money to keep them fenced in so that was supposed to be ok. I gave up having anymore chickens after they were killed because I didn't want to fight with the neighbors about it but it made my heart ache to see my pets suffer & killed even though they were just chickens. They each had their own personallities.  I have dogs & love them too but I also realize that a dog owner should keep their dogs in check.Â