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52 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, April 2, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 1, 2005 Sheriff’s sorry for shot dog By JACK MORAN Mail Tribune Jackson County Sheriff Mike Winters said Thursday he regrets a decision made by two sheriff’s deputies to shoot a pet Rottweiler once in the head after it was struck by a car Sunday night along Table Rock Road. The deputies were responding to a call of a dog hit by a car and believed the animal was mortally injured. But the dog remained alive in a roadside ditch until a road crew discovered it there the next morning. It was later put to sleep by county animal control officials. "I feel sad about this and I am sorry," Winters said. "I wouldn’t want this to happen if it was my dog, and we will take measures to ensure it won’t happen again." Whether his public apology is enough for the Rottweiler’s owner remains to be seen. Julie Smith of Central Point on Wednesday appeared before Jackson County commissioners to ask the sheriff’s department to apologize for not getting Max to a veterinarian before shooting it. She said Thursday that she now feels "sorry" might not be enough. Advertisement Smith, an office manager at Howard Elementary in Medford, said she believes Winters should speak to students about the incident, since many of them "loved the dog, too." The students didn’t see the incident but heard news of it. "I think it would be good for the kids to understand how this happened, because they’re horrified," she said. "I don’t want the kids to have the impression our sheriff’s deputies are the bad guys. They need to know (deputies) are human and can make bad choices, too." Winters said deputies Natalie Avery and Chris Turner believed they were doing the dog a favor by shooting it, since they believed Max was in excruciating pain after it was hit by a car. "It was their perception the dog was seriously hurt, and that taking him to a veterinarian would not have helped," Winters said. "They in no way intended to shoot the dog and leave it there suffering. They were trying to do the opposite and discontinue the suffering." Smith maintains deputies do not have the expertise to determine if an animal is beyond help. "I don’t think it’s fair to the deputies to have them make that decision on their own," she said. "They are not veterinarians and are not qualified to determine the physical (condition) of an animal." Still, Smith believes it is appropriate for an officer to "put (an animal) out of its misery" if it has obvious injuries that appear to be life-threatening. Smith said the deputies apologized Monday by telephone. They were not able to notify Smith of the situation earlier because the 9-year-old Rottweiler did not have identification tags on his collar. Winters said despite the fact that Max was loose in the street without any tags, Smith is not to blame for her pet’s death. "(Tags) would have helped, but the responsibility here is on me," he said. "We dropped the ball, and if there’s anybody to blame, blame me." Winters said he planned to phone Smith later Thursday, and hoped to meet with her and her two sons to personally apologize to them for the loss of their pet. Meanwhile, Smith said she has received numerous phone calls and e-mails from residents upset over the incident. A memorial fund at the Southern Oregon Humane Society has been established in Max’s name, with all proceeds going toward the purchase of identification tags for adopted animals. The humane society can be contacted at 779-3215. Smith said she and her two sons adopted Max from the humane society about four years ago. Reach reporter Jack Moran at 776-4459, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Fasa Advertisement s