A Cornish farmer who shot his neighbour’s Collie, Jim, has received a community sentence.

Jim’s death came when the farmer found him on his property, apparently worrying his daughter’s pet rabbit, BBC News reports.
Liskeard Magistrates Court found the farmer guility of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. Ordering him to pay £700 and serve 80 hours of community service, Magistrate Peter Howard said:

“This has been a sad and tragic case - one which was avoidable.

“Jim died a terrible death.”

Does this mean that farmers can’t shoot dogs on their land, with impunity? Although I’m no expert, the BBC News report suggests that Jim wasn’t found worrying livestock. Perhaps that is what made the difference in this case.

Either way, it’s best to ensure your dogs are welcome wherever you take them.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 13th, 2006 at 8:44 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.