ATV Florida Forum

I am posting this to let all of the RR owners know of a situation that happend this past Sunday at Gate 2. Eddie the Buggy Lot attendant got pissed of at his dog he walked over and shot the dog with a shot gun approx 2-3 feet from a persons car with small kids in the car. The dog had about 12 holes in her stomach and was not dead. Pete had to take the poor dog out back and put it out of her misery. He not only could of shot the vehicle but more importantly the kids could have been shot. Eddie is employed by RRPOA and they are not doing anything about it. They are telling their employees to be quiet about the situation. The RRPOA rules state that no one can carry a gun larger then a .22 unless it is in season (which it is not) how ever he is drunk and walking around with a 12 gauge pump shot gun and shooting is a populated area. I am not trying to start anything but I think if we are trying to keep RR and ATV'ing on the up and up then we cannot allow this situation to happen again.

i dont know the details but i can tell you this. you shoot a defenseless dog in front of me-you going to jail, cause i'm calling the cops. you shoot  a dog in front of my kids- i dont know, buts its gonna be either you or me hitting the floor, cause i aint having it.

I was there Sunday till 2:00pm, must have been after that. I agree with gery350... there be more then a dead dog there.

That's a criminal offense and the person witnessing it has a legal and moral obligation to sign a complaint against the offender. I know I da*n sure would. It is not too late. Do the right thing. Please.

"If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem"

Agreed.  If this in fact happened it needs to be reported to Animal Control.

Not Animal Control, but the SO or other Law Enforcement entity. Get the a** hole arrested.

This doesn’t look good for River Ranch as a private entity. I agree what was done was very very wrong. Management needs to take into consideration  that there employees ARE spokespeople for River Ranch. Sweeping this under the rug is just telling everybody else it’s OK to bring your dog out and shoot them. And furthermore I would not want to trust a place that lets there gate guard be intoxicated, carry a loaded firearm, who obviously has some anger issues watch over an entrance with one trigger pull away from messing it up for everybody!. Just allot of bad wrap people!!!! This really reflects poorly on River Ranch management!!!

Well here is the CRAP I was just told by Polk County Animal Control....In this wonderful State we live in...you can get arrested for leaving a Dog outside in the heat with no water BUT if you want to fill your dog with holes and let it bleed to death a slow and agonizing death in front (or should I say 2-3 ft from little kids) it is OK....I swear some of the laws are so messed up. So if anyone has any pull in Polk County please step forward. They are going to send out a Deputy but nothing will be done...GO FIGURE!

Look what I just found...I wonder if Polk County know these laws....

828.12. Cruelty to animals

(1) A person who unnecessarily overloads, overdrives, torments, deprives of necessary sustenance or shelter, or unnecessarily mutilates, or kills any animal, or causes the same to be done, or carries in or upon any vehicle, or otherwise, any animal in a cruel or inhumane manner, is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or by a fine of not more than $5,000, or both.

(2) A person who intentionally commits an act to any animal which results in the cruel death, or excessive or repeated infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering, or causes the same to be done, is guilty of a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or by a fine of not more than $10,000, or both.

Why don’t you e-mail that to the sheriff… Lord knows that if you found it, it shouldn’t be that hard for him to find, You know what I mean???

I think the guy at animal control at polk county animal control had his head up his azz. I would like the number of the sherrifs office as well as the animal control office in polk county as well as the name of the person who said that nothing would be done.. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW. NOT EVEN LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS THEY CAN GO TO JAIL TOO.

polk county sheriff ...... Good luck there! atvrider05 what time did this happen?  Why is this your first post as a newbie? do you have other name and didnt what people to know who you are? I feel it strange thats why I ask.   

Polk County of
Sheriff's Office, Animal Control  
7115 De Castro Rd
Winter Haven, FL 33880-1057

Phone:  (863) 499-2600  
 

This is where I called...The rep I spoke too was not happy about it (the law) that is. I don't know maybe if we bombard them with calls they will have to do something.....The squeaky wheel gets the grease!
 

If the witness to the act signs a criminal complaint, the sheriff is obligated to make an arrest. PLEASE sign a criminal complaint.

How about recklessly discharging a firearm near an occupied vehicle? Isn't that a crime?

It happened aroung 7-8 PM ish. Why does it matter if I am a newbie or not...Everyone is a newbie sometime  ;) What does matter is that we stop this from happening again. We cannot give the County or the State another reason to take another area away from us.

I ask just because its strange to have a newbie on his or she first post to start a thread like that, its normally a welcome or Hi…

y do ppl do things like that  :'(

OK Big_Daddy...point taken...Hello everyone  ;D

something really needs to be done about this. I think it would help RR more than hurt them if they would turn the guy in. At least it shows responsibility rather than just letting him go.

 Welcome to the site atvrider05.  Are you a member of RR or a guest?  

This Just $UCKS!  :'(
If that would have happened in front of me well........  :-X

I am in no mood to put up with A$$ holes like this!!

Yeah welcome

Nice to meet you Big-D...I am a member.

Of RR that is.

Eddie sounds like a wacko. I'm not a member of River Ranch but this can't be tolerated anywhere. The witness needs to step up and have this guy put in jail. >:(

Just talk to Pete Edwards (the president) of RR. He saying the dog had rabies and it was trying to bite people at the gate. It kept running after cars and ATVers for over a week now. There also called Animal Control to capture the dog, but was not able to catch the dog. The other side of the story?

But it was done in front of a car full of kids.......that's bull**it!!   :'(

Or did it?..........let's not let the facts get in the way of a good story.

I don't know which is worse, what happened at RR, or here: http://www.nbc6.net/news/4796338/detail.html?subid=10101481

I hope it really was rabies and not just a cover story.

There's no get around that. That was wrong! 

I think it's important to know whether or not there was sufficient evidence to know or suspect that the dog actually had rabies or was any kind of physical threat to any person. PEOPLE'S safety is more important than any dog's, especially kids!

A few weeks ago Mike (da mtg man) and I got chased by a dog or coyote on a night ride at RR. Darn thing came out of the wood from the dark.  Scared the Zhit out me.   

I also find it hard to believe that law enforcement's going to miss any opportunity to exert some authority in this matter. I wonder what if any resources would have been spent by the authorities to search for that rabied dog? Were any calls made to them prior to this incident? Last year, FWC shot a tiger to death in WPB. That tiger was loose in a community and the same critics of the shooting would have been the first to criticize law enforcement for NOT stopping it before someone got hurt by the tiger. There's people hurt, murdered and missing everyday! Where's the outcry?

ok...the facts are this...I ride at RR every weekend and my own kids have played and pet this dog....The dogs did not have rabies...(so Pete is trying to cover it up). They were not trying to help the dog. Eddie was drunk and mad at the dog because she got out of his fence... Well for 2 months, every weekend the dog has been out because we have fed her and his other dog, the black, brown and white dog (which is the dog who really runs after cars) we were afraid we were going to run over her on Sat. but hey isn't chasing cars a dog thing to do, like bite the mailman. I said I was not trying to start anything when I first posted this thread and I am STILL NOT...I just don't like liers....especially when I pay my dues which pays the liers....Big Dog this is not directed at you in any way, but what Pete told you was a complete lie. He is the one who put the poor dog down when she lied on the ground bleeding and in pain. So he is full of sh*t saying the dog had rabies...for God's sake if it was true which it was not, take it to the vet to have put down...do NOT shoot 2-3 feet away from a 6 & 8yr old. And just to clarify any questions, I know all of this info to be FACT because it was my friends kids he shot by. 

Was this the brown dog at the gate? 

Oh and as far as catching the dog...all they had to do was call the dog over because she would come right over and let you pet her and play with her...My son and her sat on the ground next to our trailer for about a half an hour while we loaded up....So saying Animal Contol couldn't catch the dog is another lie. Eddie did not want the dog and one of the girls that works gate 2 found a home for her but Eddie didn't care. He was drunk and got mad at the dog...Period! Sorry I know I sound mad but I can't stand the facts of what he did and apparently is going to get away with.  Really can't catch the dog...dog has rabies...so lets shot it in front of KIDS....give me a break WHAT LIES....

Ya Big-D, it was the light tan dog that always ran with the black, brown and white dog.

Your story may be 100% true and , if so, that man should be arrested and charged. And, you may have seen those dogs before or ones like them, but, you heard of the incident from your friend. You did not witness the killing of that dog. Let the law sort it out.

That dog friendly... I played with that dog last week at the gate.  >:(

If the authorities won't do anything then it is up to the RR owners to bring it up to the board.  Let them know this type of action is NOT acceptable under any circumstances.

I said it was my friends kids...I didn't say I wasn't there....I was there and I did see it happen...and here is another fact...After Eddie shot the dog he said Quote un Quote "shes gotta learn the rules" "that will teach her to learn the rules" !!!!!

Next board meeting 8-20 at 12:00 pm

 

I don't know if this is post hijacking, but I got to tell you guys, I chase my future wife around like a rabid dog and I sure am happy that she doesn't shot me......Now that is funny right there...

On a serious note, I can't believe there are people that actually can do that....dog is man's best friend sometimes....

You might be a Redneck if you shoot your Dog with a 12 gauge shotgun because your mad at it.   :o   Those folks just live diffrently up there compared to us city people.  What he did was terrible and I hope he goes to jail for it.

Shooting a dog is not an easy thing to do . Dogs have been shot for many reasons ....I would like to have a better understanding of the rules he felt she was breaking . If a dog runs with a pack it can develope very bad habits at night but still be a very friendly dog in the daytime in the view of the public . Nothing better than a double sided dog to make you look like a real ass , but some things look different in the country .....Many hunters have shot dogs for not trailing properly or being hard to leash . Old school dog hunters dont view them as pets but as tools ...if they dont work properly they die ...it is a very simple decision for them to make . If you dont understand the people how can you uderstand the problem.....talk to some old school fox hunters for some different points of view on this ! I am sorry for the kid who witnessed it .

JD I can see your point of view on this but just look at this as a 20th century thing. To some dogs are companions to others they are tools. I love my dog and my tools. I don't believe that you can kill an animal and cause it pain and undue suffering just cause you are having a bad day. I sorry to say but if the media gets ahold of this it will just be more ammo for them to talk ZHIT about RR. Then who else goes to RR us ATV folks that are also gonna get stuff over this. The least we could do is try to make this rihjt for that poor animal that was put into misery because of this man "having a bad day",I personally think we own this to this poor animal... just my .02 guys

jd is right, some old school hunters kill puppies if they are not wanted and they wouldnt waist a bullit on them, they would knock them in the head. they view them as tools only. i guy i know shot a dog because it killed a $3.00 chicken. i dont agree with their point of view, but this (killing dogs) is more common than you think.

jeff

I was raised on a farm, where putting animals "down" was an inexpensive way to git rid of problems. But this was always done in a humane way, as quick and painless as possible. To blow holes at close range with a shotgun sounds very cruel, and for kids to witness that sucks. But after that you have no choice but to put it down ,quickly, or you just increase it's suffering.
I am in no way condoning animal cruelty, just stating a fact of life on the farm.

The guy was drunk and had a gun ??? Hmmm, doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that was going to lead to trouble. Give it time, sounds like this Yahoo will eventually off himself and be in the Darwin Awards.

We live in a country were it's OK to kill a Cow, Chicken or Swine, but not a Cat or Dog. Must be the meat.

 TRX350_On_The_Rack is right about drinking and carry a gun. I carry a gun at RR for protection (snakes, coyotes and to protect my son) I have a rule that if I start to drink the gun stay in camp.

If he was intoxicated with a Firearm and shooting it in a place not designated for fireing a weapon there is a serious problem . If he is a representative of R.R The board should take Any precautionary measures available to insure that it never happens again . Keep one thing in mind ..the more R.R is considered an ATV riding area ..the amount of Useless hunting dogs will increase .So will the hunters frustrations . People have been hunting alot longer than ATV in .

I am a member out there and have seen these dogs...But I have no idea as to who you are talking about in reference to Eddie. I know if I was there and saw that he would have been lying right next to that dog only I would have let him suffer. Wo is this guy Eddie. I know most of the gate keepers up there like Anothony and his wife but no Eddie.

Eddie nickname is gopher...

Hondagirl he works the Buggy lot so unless you park a trailer or buggy you probably wouldn't have a occassion to see him.

Really......... he's a likeable person and will go out of his way to help you however he can.  But hard to convince anyone of that right now with this supposedly happening
for whatever reason.

Every dog has his day !

lol....too bad it wasn't a cat...or several of them

Yeah, Then we could've had some chinese food this weekend.  ;D

or a nice pair of slippers with some fuzzy insides

 ;D  HA HA HA ......Fuzzy slippers & chinese food it just dont get any better than that  ::)  :P

 :o :o  Don't cats taste like chicken ????????

Okay came into the coversation a little late but....

I don't have kids but if I did and someone shot the dog in front of my kids there would be even more problems! Something needs to be done!

Have to ask some of the Chinese and other people about that one!

not if you marinate them first

 >:(

I guess that means I can't count on you for a recipe.... ;D

atvrider05, I've reread your posts. I would not have made my comments had you'd initially made it clear that you witnessed the event. Since you now say that you witnessed it, you have the responsibility to notify law enforcement, instead of trying/convicting and punishing any alleged lawbreaker on this website. If he did as you say, he should be held accountable by law enforcement and the RR owners. It's not everyday that an adult shoots an innocent dog in front of children and it's not everyday that any employee would support that kind of employee, either, unless there's more to the actual story.

Am I missing something? Didn't someone say you can't have anything over a 22  out of season? If so RR management should at the very least suspend him  or terminate him for firing a 12 guage and for drinking on the job. As far as the dog goes,I find it hard to believe it had rabies and no one could catch it. If you can shoot it at point blank range than you can catch it. This certainly puts a black eye on RR as a whole. If you think the members on this site are outraged imagine if the media got hold of it. A story like this would bring reporters from everywhere. Animal cruelty is taken seriously now a days. This isn't the " you sure got a pretty mouth" state. This guy should act civilized or go live in the deep deep woods of the louisiana bayou where there is a two teeth minmum. As many hunters and trappers that frequent RR and your telling me no one could catch a dog? Please. Can you say cover up??

how can people be so mean to their animals? :'(

AintSkeered...I am reposting my previous post on this thread where I stated that I did call the authorities.

 atvrider05
Newbie

Posts: 13


Finally! ATVFlorida.com is here!


    Re: RR INCIDENT - DOG SHOOTING
« Reply #7 on: August 02, 2005, 03:58:59 PM »     

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Well here is the CRAP I was just told by Polk County Animal Control....In this wonderful State we live in...you can get arrested for leaving a Dog outside in the heat with no water BUT if you want to fill your dog with holes and let it bleed to death a slow and agonizing death in front (or should I say 2-3 ft from little kids) it is OK....I swear some of the laws are so messed up. So if anyone has any pull in Polk County please step forward. They are going to send out a Deputy but nothing will be done...GO FIGURE!

You want to shoot one of these….


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In front of two of these???


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You are one sick SOB!!!

Aww Lisa and Jonathan's Baby!

I believe I had something to do with her too!  :-\

The girls always start it .  ;)

 ;) You know it!  :o

Yea he's the one who posted it. I think that you had most to do with it! I will fix it!

Aww What a cutie.So what size of helmet deos she wear. COMMMONN we cant waste time. put the baby on a quad!!!!!!

Don't worry I am trying to convince them of that! ;D Right Lisa?

Has anyone called the sheriff or animal control again ? I have the number i wanna call and make a complaint. Does anyone know Eddie's last name ? Also i would like the number to the florida ASPCA office they might want to hear about this and the fact that POLK county doesnt wanna do anything about this !!!!!.

Does anyone know the number to the sherriff.

Look it up on the internet!

Good idea!  ;D We can all send letters?

I sent the director of POLK county public safety an email about this incident. Just go to there website and start writing they will eventually get the message.http://www.polk-county.net/contactform.aspx?

I think that is email address.

I just sent a message!

U GO GIRL

Text of my message to the Director of Public Safety, Polk County-
"Mr. Bell,
I have recently become aware of a dog shooting at River Ranch. Witnesses to the event claim the animal was not rabid or a threat in any way. This was done next to a car with small children in it. This must be stopped. The person , Eddie, I believe, must be arrested. He was intoxicated, according to reports, and placed innocent bystanders in harm's way, as well as comitting a despicable act towards a defenseless dog. Please take action on this immediately.
Thank you.
Kurt Hargarten"

Email link-

http://www.polk-county.net/county_offices/public_safety/contact.aspx

If everyone sends this guy an email, maybe we can get some action.

Seems this should be handled by the folks at R.R and not people with second and third hand information . I guess we will have to catch the truth on channel 12 . 

You beat me to it...I don't think that we know everything involved, and if it is true, I would be the first to pursue this. But the media is not our friend, And we should help River Ranch resolve this, and not turn it into witch hunt, bringing in outside influence. I will be checking on this and urge you all to wait a bit before fanning the flames.

i am not a riverranch member but hope to be one one day and i have to agree with the budman. a whole lot of speculation and heresay.

(dont get me wrong its not right to shoot a defenseless animal, but....)

J.D., budman and gery350 you are all right! Let the owners and board work it out. The next meet is 8/20 and it will be handled. If you didn’t own land at RR or who witnessed it. Please stay out of it, all you are doing is getting the media involved and giving unwanted attend to RR. 

YEP ! As much as the state would love to get their hands on it to use it as Mitigation credits people need to be careful  . Mitigation credits is a term for closing a piece of land , restoring it to it's "natural" state . The restored areas are  divided up into sections and the credit for the restoration is sold to developers who are then allowed to build developements in other "less prestine " locations . Oh the tangled web we weave . Be careful of what you send to who , even if your intentions are truely honorable !

And also if you are stubborn enough to send a letter or call anyway, make sure they know that you are an atv enthusiast and ride at RR(stay out of it if you don't ride there or hunt there.) Last thing we need is more bad press.

I finally have a minute to write about this incident instead of just reading it.  I've made a few observations here that are quite interesting to me...

1. Let me start by saying that this incident was wrong. I don't condone it, and don't appreciate that it was done in front of kids. 

2.  if you read through all of the other topics on this 'open discussion' forum, typically everyone says that they wouldn't call the cops..they'd handle it on their own. 

3.  Sending letters to them is just going to annoy them and bring yet another nuisance mark against atv'ers.  Think of how many peoples lives we could ruin if police went and reacted everytime a bunch of people wrote letters to the cops telling them to arrest such and such a person.

4.  If everyone is out to give the atv community a better name and reputation...sweep this one under the rug.  Let the board handle it,  let a couple of people that were there handle it and move on. 

my very opinionated .02 cents.


I just wish instead of shooting the dog he would've shot my polaris so I could call insurance on the dang thing.  ;D ;D

Shot the polaris? Then they would proabably arrest him just like the guy who put bullets in his car.....

Bullets in your own vehicle, get arrested
Bullets in a dog, they let you walk

What kind of sense does that make?

I can't wait until she's old enough.  Queenquad has a nifty little seat on the back of her quad that I can't wait to buy for the Bruin.   ;D

As far as the RR incident....since we're all given our 2 cents worth....I personally think it was horrible, but I agree that those who witnessed it first hand should do whatever it is that they feel the need to do.  As for the rest of us (especially those of us that don't even ride there)......it's "NONEYA..."   :-\

... business


(i agree)

For those who commented to let the RRPOA handle the problem, Thank you, the problem was handled correctly. The buggy lot attendant is no longer under contract with RRPOA.

As with everything, some will be pleased and others will continue to create a thunderstorm, where there should be only a shower.

If you have further concerns please send me a pm, I will gladly respond.

Thank you Tom and welcome to the site.. ;)

Thanks Tractor!

Thanks for the update Tom. I didn't see anyone at the buggy gate this weekend when I came by there on my jet ski.  ;D

Mike

Good to see R.R. handled it appropriately . I feel safer already  ;)

(http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/2918/att4054879ej.gif)

SO WHAT THEY ARE SAYING IS IF HE BREAKS THE LAW HE GETS FIRED??   NO FINE NO JAIL TIME??? YUP SEEMS FAIR TO ME

It was handled by RR. Are you a member or did you witness it? If not dont Judge someone else..  :-\

NO IAM NOT AND NO I DIDNT THATS WHY WE HAVE THE LEGAL SYSTEM
   COUNTY JUDGES SO IT WONT BE BIASED FROM OTHER RR MEMBERS
   SOUNDS LIKE A COVER UP????

Sounds like you know all the facts... RR is private land and its not your business if you dont own land out there!. It was handled by the board members. Thats good for me.

sounds like you know it all.  the LAW is for everyone 
on private or public land 
 


   tell it to the judge!

Let it go ........it was handled by the board  the END if there is a problem
buy property and take it up with the board.  As it was said at first bad
judgement on his part but shooting animal not against law.

tekhanto read post 14 public or private he broke the law should be prosicuted not fired not swept under the rug.
if we as members condone any act that that breaks the law (which we do be trying to bury or hide unlawful acts )
or the rules of river ranch we are as guilty as those that break the law. question, what do you teach your children?

I don’t condone the act of shooting a dog near children it was wrong... But I can’t stay is people stirring crap about something they don’t know. I wasn’t there I can’t Judge no one, that why there a board that runs the place. If that was my children’s in the car, trust me I will not posted nothing on the site, it be done there! If someone shoot a dog next to you kids what would you do. I call the police on the spot! Not wait 2 days and post on the site. Like we need more bad press about our sport. 

Point taken... what do we teach our kids when we speed...
Atvrider05 called Polk County Animal control to report it and was told if it was Eddie's dog it was not against law to shoot it. 
It is an emotional subject but the board has settled it.


Let's ride

 ??? ???

How many people here have ever had to shoot a dog ?   I have , but I love dogs .....go figure  :-\   I hope they dont have a cell at R.R to lock people up in , I'm shure with all the letters and well thought out E mails sent from our members here ...if here deserves jail time he will get it . But not at the R.R jail facility . ::) Give it up people ......The problem was handledby the board ...I guess they should have put him on the R.R  guillotine . Come on ..give me a break .

PLEASE!!! (No punn intended)  :-[

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MrsPureLogic has spoken...

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Can't disagree with a woman....at least that's what my wife told me .. ;)

You’re “just a gluten for punishment!”   ;)