Imagine someone from your neighborhood walks up to your backyard and shoots your dog dead with a gun just because they felt angry or irritated by the barking in the neighborhood. This nightmare actually did happen to a dog in Bellingham, Washington, this past Saturday.
USA Today along with other news outlets reported on the incident of the killing of a dog named Molly – just a little over a year old – shot dead by a 55-year-old man named David Latham who reportedly leaned over the fence of Molly’s backyard and put a bullet in the dog’s chest – and this murderous brutality only because he was pissed at the barking in the neighborhood.
The story also adds that Molly in fact wasn’t the barking dog. The Q 13 Fox story says Latham, upon his arrest, admitted to the police he had shot Molly and also that he knew he had shot the wrong dog. Now, Latham faces animal cruelty charges.
The story is terrifying beyond belief. Not only did Latham murdered an innocent dog in her own backyard but also pointed the gun at the owner when he shouted at him and ran in reaction toward him. Had Latham murdered a child for crying or making noise in a similar manner, he would certainly be facing murder charges. However, it’s again the case of a dog and dog murderers rarely receive the strict punishment awarded to murderers. The incident does raise questions about how safe actually your pet could be in your own house.
