A US bomb-sniffer dog that survived two separate military tours of Iraq has been fatally shot in Wyoming by a man who claims the canine intimidated him.
The dog, named Mike, had been awarded a bronze star for his part in the Iraq war and was helping his owner cope with post traumatic stress order, having been trained to recognise signs of distress in Matthew Bessler.
According to the police report the attacked man was cycling and stopped near the home of Bessler when he was confronted by a ‘small pack of dogs’.
He told officers that he first used his bike to defend himself before then pulling his gun and shooting Mike in the backside causing fatal injury.
The story has been criticised by Bessler who had been away hunting at the time.
Bessler said to the Billings Gazette:
If the guy was actually fending the dogs off with a bicycle, [Mike] would have really been barking, and there was no barking. The guests who were at the house, they said the same thing. There was no barking. It was just a gunshot.”
Bessler’s case is strengthened by reports that the ‘attacked’ man walked away from the incident completely unscathed, and he is now considering legal action.
The community has rallied to support Bessler through the loss of his faithful friend setting up a GoFundMe page that has raised a whopping $12,500 (around £9000) in just four days to honour Mike, and pay for his burial.
That is an incredible effort.
