3 Dogs Murdered with Assault Rifle

12/29/10- Around noon, Mr. Murphy who lives two houses down from us, tracked down, shot and killed all three of our dogs with an AK-47 assault rifle, a few feet off our property.
   Home sick that day, we awakened to LOUD gunshots. We ran out the front door, as we heard screaming, and out from the side of our house walked Mr. Murphy, our neighbor 2 houses down, carrying an assault rifle. He had his 5 or 6 yr old child with him.  The lady across the street (eye-witness to entire incident) was screaming 'I called the cops, he had no right.' As we walked to the side of the house we looked down the driveway of the vacant house between ours and Mr. Murphy's and in the backyard I saw all three of our beautiful babies lying inches from each other. We ran over to them and our youngest, 10mo old puppy Mack, was still alive. He had a massive gunshot wound and was struggling to survive. I am a technician at a veterinary clinic, in my experience with emergency situations he was suffering from internal bleeding and would have died within 10-15 minutes. I begged Jason, my boyfriend,  to put him out of his misery.... he did. It was far crueler to me to watch my puppy suffer then to end it instantly. (no charges were filed on our decision). Each dog was shot twice (8-9 shots total). We later discovered our electric fence running the perimeter of the yard had shorted out and the dogs pushed through 2 wooden planks in the privacy fence of our backyard and got out.  Mr. Murphy says he was sleeping when his wife and kids came in the house saying dogs came after them. He then grabbed his AK-47, ran out the door, and went looking for the dogs. He found them 2 houses down, in the backyard, right outside my fence and killed them. 8-9 shots fired in about 6 seconds. He was arrested for discharging a firearm in a population over 100,000 and 3 felony counts of animal cruelty. He bonded out the next day. Mr. Murphy's wife explained to police that the kids grandmother held back one of the dogs after knocking him off his bike, allowing Mrs. Murphy and the kids to go into the house. POLICE FOUND NO VISIBLE MARKS ON THE CHILDREN. 
   Now when it comes to a situation like this involving American Pit Bull Terriers you have to realize I have worked at a veterinary clinic for 6 years. I pride myself in my dogs behavior. I am a Certified Kennel with the APBR and the dogs killed were my registered breeding pair and their son. My dogs were bred for personality, temperment, and the over-all family pet. Puppies sold were guarenteed to have no human aggression and all owners will testify. I take those dogs to work with me almost every day to assure socialization with cats, dogs, puppies, kittens, and humans of all ages. My boyfriend has 4 and 5 year old boys who have ridden those dogs like horses for years. Never once has there been a sign nor an incident of aggression from any of these 3 dogs towards anyone.... friend or stranger, adult or child. These dogs are inside members of our family. They are in the house 80% of the time and any time they are allowed outside, they have full access to the house through a dog door.  I have always tried to take every possible step I can to make sure my dog's temperments would never be in question.
 Although the penalty for animal cruelty in Texas is not going to bring our babies back to us, please help us urge the prosecuter to give the maximum penalty for each of the 3 felony counts of Animal Cruelty, Alexus-5 1/2 yrs old, Diesel-2yrs old, and their son Mack-10months old. People need to know you can not take the law into your own hands, especially when it involves an AK-47 in a residential neighborhood.  
We can not thank you enough for your support!
R.I.P.- Alexus, Diesel, and Mack

Lexus, Mack, and Diesel




  We the undersigned, want it to be proven that individuals can not take the law into their own hands in any situation, especially when it involves an assault rifle in a residential neighborhood. These dogs were obviously very loved and well cared for members of the family.  Dogs get out of yards all the time, no matter how hard people try sometimes.  That fence line should not be the difference between life or death and Mr. Murphy had no right to shoot these dogs. Fact of the matter is, these 3 dogs were not killed 'while attacking' or 'immediately after attacking', the dogs were not even close to his property, and POLICE SAID THE KIDS HAD NO VISIBLE MARKS ON THEM at the time of the incident. He had to go looking for these dogs to kill them. Once the kids were in the house he should have called the proper authorities, not proceeded through neighboring front yards and back yards with an AK-47 while his child watched. If he was in fear for his or anyone elses safety, Mr. Murphy SHOULD NOT have went looking for these dogs.

  Please, show no leniency on Mr.Murphy for this horrible tragedy he has caused. Reguardless of how well these dogs were raised, how much they were loved and spoiled, or how many signatures are on this petition.... The boy did not have a mark on him proving the dogs did not 'attack', and Mr. Murphy knowingly put the whole neighborhood in danger firing an assault rifle.  Although Mr. Murphy claims the dogs ran towards him so he began firing, he willingly put himself in that position.  
  We ask that you PLEASE give Mr. Murphy the maximum sentence on each of the three felony counts of Cruelty to Animals charges. Thank you for your time and any consideration you may give to Lexus, Diesel, and Mack's forever family and friends.

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