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Man Charged With Shooting Neighbor’s Dog
January 6, 2011
A Cantonment man is facing two felony charges for allegedly shooting and killing his neighbor’s dog.
Vincent Jerome Clay, 42, was released from the Escambia County Jail on $5,000 bond. He was charged with a weapons offense for using a firearm during a felony and animal cruelty after Clay’s neighbor on Calloway Street told Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies that Clay shot and killed a Rottweiler name Barak.
Clay reportedly claimed that the dog had had killed his goats. The dog’s owner, Lula Mae Wilson, said she paid him $100 for the goats. Wilson tethered the dog in her yard, but it escaped. That’s when, according to the police report, Clay shot the dog with his shotgun. Deputies found the dog dead under his house along with freshly splattered blood.
Clay will be arraigned on January 27.
Comments
37 Responses to “Man Charged With Shooting Neighbor’s Dog”
Seems I’m the only one who has a problem with killing your neighbors dog and
is scrutinizing him for it….
SO just to the person who said that and just to set the record straight:
IF (and I said IF) your talking about ME, I don’t have a barn, NEVER had a barn and NEVER have ever burned anything down to claim insurance. I don’t have a record or any felonies. I guess I misunderstood you or you are mistaken about ME!
I see now the man has a felony conviction so he should not have a gun.
to old Bratt – I guess if you keep your dogs on your property and or fenced your comment / threat won’t matter, I would agree with aubry King if they come on my property you can start digging the graves.
If I saw a unleashed rot on my property it would be buzzard food as well. leash laws are there to protect. criminal past or not this man has a right to safety on his property. I do not care if the dog was being walked and broke free, if it came at me on my property it would be dead in front of god and everyone! not sure how this is a felony though.
Awww and there you have it, that is if you can believe that last post.
A no good felon with a weapon shoots neighbors dog in front of an
innocent child.
THATS WHY THE SUCKA IS IN JAIL and you were all so heck bent on
defending him.
Right!
One thing that the story doesn’t tell was there was a child walking the dog. The dog wasn’t just running free, and this guy shot the dog right in front of the child.
It reads like the dog ran under his house after he shot it. It doesn’t read like he threw it under his house to hide his crime.
In the distant past he used to be a burglar. Burglars tend to dislike dogs.
What if the headline had read CONVICTED FELON SHOOTS BARAK ?
Anyway, one of the rights you lose when you are convicted of a felony is the right to shoot your neighbor’s dogs–even if they invade your property. Yet another good reason to avoid felonies.
David for goats
Native.
Don’t put words in my mouth. If the dog is aggressive and it’s in your yard, by
all means protect yourself anyway you can.
This story doesn’t say he was afraid or attacked. He just didn’t want his
goats killed so he killed a dog and then covered up his crime.
I don’t advocate killing when not necessary and I don’t advocate breaking
the law.
Is that what some of you teach your children. Just do what ever the heck
they want and cover up their actions from neighbors, society and the law?
Well that certainly explains a lot.
Old Timer
I have known Akita’s to be good and bad. When bad they can be very very aggressive and do a lot of damage. An Akita is what Nicole’s dog
was when she and Ron Goldman were killed..
If it comes on your property throw some hamburger or sausage or chicken necks
in a shed or old car or something and go in the house. When he goes into the
shed run out and slam the door. Call your neighbor and talk to them or call
the proper authorities if you don’t mind trouble with your neighbors.
A friend has an Akita and it’s just as sweet as can be. She is a really large dog, but she is very gentle. Don’t let the size scare you. If a dog senses that you are scared of it, it will become aggressive. It’s a natural happening: that’s how they know who to mess with and who NOT. Just ignore it and chances are that it will ignore you also. Good luck.
My neighbor has a HUGE dog that scares us because of his size and he has gotton out a time or two, does anyone know or even heard of his breed (Akita)? he looks like an over grown German Shepard with a curled tail and big bold mean looking face.
It bad when animals have the same RIGHTS as humans. I would not be surprised if hunters would be tried as felons for shooting deer.
OK CreamPuff. If your neighbors rottie comes in your yard and goes under your house but doesn’t attack you, then YOU grab it. (roll eyes)
If he comes in MY fenced land and I think he is a threat to my chickens and my calves, well as the saying goes “shoot, shovel, and shut up”.
Frankly, I’d much prefer the dog not come on my property in the first place!
OK, now I understand! Let the dog attack you first, then shoot it. Thanks for setting me straight creampuff. LOL
Really, tho, the shooter was in a heck of a position. In Florida a person does have the right to protect their livestock if they percieve a threat, but as a convicted felon he could not be in possession of a firearm unless his civil rights had been restored. That seldom happens.
Yeah, he is a real bad character and there are probably lots of reasons he should be in jail. Not for killing the dog, but for possessing a firearm comes to mind.
You know there ARE a lot of ways to catch a dog.
You just have to be smarter than a DOG.
(rolling eyes)
OMRBH
Yes I said grab it IF IT DIDN”T ATTACK OR SOMETHING.
Lots of dogs who attack other animals don’t necessarily attack humans.
IF he was familiar with this dog then he would know.
I don’t just advocate. Shoot first and ask questions later.
I don’t KILL anything unless it is the last resort.
God Bless you TOO! (rolling eyes)
i have lifestock and if someones dog killed my lifestock i would kill it also you have one person on here makeing comments who have done things to like shoot there horse and burn the barn to claim insurance but now iscrutinizing this person the man felon or not was protecting his property and i for one would do the same if your dog was chasing my cows well your dog is now gona b a dead dog no questions asked
I have one question…
WHO.. LET THE DOG OUT…MM…MM
To “AUBRY KING” does that include a “drug dog” LOL
I too have to agree with Trish. I was raised on a farm and you have a responsibility to protect your own animals. In our case we had to because it was a part of survival.
It’s amazing that SO many people are SO very narrow-minded.
To Trish: Probably the most intelligent comment posted.
I have livestock & have, more than once, been put in a position to protect or lose my animals due to neighbors’ dogs. It’s not a comfortable position, especially if one loves animals. I’ve had law enforcement dispatched to ‘press charges’ for killing neighbors’ dogs……thank God the deputies listened & looked at the evidence (bloody goats/calves/foals)…….& ultimately informed the irresponsible neighbors that there was nothing they could do.
We have a right to defend our livestock (in the state of Florida). I watched a neighbor’s dog chase horses in my pasture & later bring her puppies to teach them to stalk & chase the horses. I made several attempts to get the owners to secure the dog, since I did know where she lived. She would still show up & give chase.
Bottom line……If you own pets, be responsible & keep them on your property. Sometimes we can’t help if an animal gets out or loose, but when it’s a repeptitve problem……fix it !!!!
Last comment…….Rotweilers are awesome dogs, like dobermans, bull dogs, mastifs, german shepherds….etc. We, as owners, MUST take the responsibility
to teach, train, & socialize our pets properly. Some dogs are not used as “family pets”, some have jobs to do…..people need to respect that, also.
We have the right to protect our helpless animals. We also have a responsibility to take care of them. You should know where your animals are at at all times. We had a few dogs jump our fence and attack the goats. I wish I had been there because I would have shot them too.. Be responsible people.
Felon or not, he was protecting his goats.
I believe they were both at fault. I have two Bulldogs and even though our property is fenced I don’t let them out unless someone is watching them. They are dogs. They will chase other animals, that is what they do. If you are going to have dogs, be responsible.
I have to admit, if someone’s dog comes in my yard and kills any of my livestock, I would probably do the same thing.
For all of you rottweiler haters. I had one and she was by far the best dog I have EVER had. I have been around many others who had the same temperament. Don’t hate the breed. It is the idiots who can’t be responsible that give the breed
a bad name.
Shoot one of my dogs and you won’t have to worry about jail time. Hope aubrey king understands THAT!
@CreamPuff. Did you actually say
“The guy should have just grabbed the dog or something else.”
Not talkin about a Poodle here. It was a Rottie.
You used another word in your comment…..what was it….(roll eyes)
As a convicted felon, he was committing another felony just by having a firearm. Otherwise, in the state of Florida a person has the right to protect their property. Shoot, shovel and shut up!
Rotties? Oh yes, someone else tell me how kind and gentle they are! Bullfeathers!
I do not own dogs dont want a dog and do not want a dog on my property.Hope all my neighbors know that and make sure to keep their dogs in their yard.
There is a very simple answer to this. Own a dog…take care of it. Provide safe and secure shelter…Like a fence. If you can’t provide proper care and shelter don’t own a dog or any other pet.
Unless the law has changed in the last few years you have the right to shoot an animal that threatens your livestock/property. Our neighbor had a dog that he could not catch or even touch and it roamed freely. We first contacted the owner for a solution then we contacted animal control and they tried to trap the dog. After trying those things we felt we had no other choice and we shot the dog when he came on our land. Not something we wanted to do but it was either that or have MORE of our animals killed.
If you are judging because he shot the dog then you need to re-think. If it is your dog then keep it on your property, if it comes on mine and threatens what I own then it is fair game.
According to public records, he is a convicted felon and wasn’t even supposed to have a gun! His record speaks for itself. This man has committed many acts of violence. Cruelty to animals goes hand in hand with spouse and child abuse. Really sad. This man needs to be brought to justice before he kills a person.
I own Dogs and i feel for both sides here, there is a fine line on this one.
A person should be able to Defend their property, but that dosent give any one a right just to shoot first and ask questions later…….not an easy case for me id have to have been there during the whole ordeal to give a clear opinin in this case
Guess he didn”t learn from his 1996 offense.
Their both wrong.
The Woman should have learned her lesson and built and fence for her dog
instead of tethering it. That is inhuman anyway. How would she like to be
tethered all her life to the front porch or the back yard or whatever.
It probably means she just used the dog for security and never gave the dog
any love.
The guy should have just grabbed the dog or something else.
No need to kill it unless it attacked him and it doesn’t say that.
Nobody wins here, so how stupid is that.
God Bless ALL IDIOTS
As for the dog it is probably better off.
This world is crazy now. A felony for killing a dog. I know you can’t go around killing dogs for no reason but this dog has already killed his goats.
IF THE DOG WAS ON HIS PROPERTY I THINK HE HAS EVERY RIGHT TO SHOOT IT
not all rottweilers are bad i have 5 of them and they are very well trained, it depends on how the owner raises them, so u cant judge all rottweilers
rottweilers kill don’t blame the man one bit. may have feared for his own life.
I love dogs – but I can see Mr. Clay’s side. There’s an old saying – good fences make good neighbors.