STANDISH – The shooting of a dog in the woods of Standish Saturday has left two families traumatized.

“It’s terrible. I’m not a hunting fan anyway, but I don’t know how someone could shoot someone’s pet. That makes no sense to me,” said Melissa West, whose family owned the 11-month-old Siberian husky.

But Tori Barrows, the wife of the Westbrook man charged in the incident, said her husband thought the dog was a coyote and that he’s distraught by the situation.

“He would never shoot a dog,” she said.

Steve Barrows, 50, has been summonsed for shooting a domestic animal, which occurred in the woods off Milt Brown Road in Standish.

According to Edie Smith, spokesman for the Maine Warden Service, Barrows and another man were hunting when they encountered the dog on Saturday, the last day of firearms hunting season. Smith said an eyewitness provided details of the shooting to wardens after seeing a flyer posted in the neighborhood by the dog’s owner, Amanda Barrett, of 221 Milt Brown Road.

When contacted, Barrett said the dog, named Niko, had gotten loose from its harness and had run into nearby woods with another family dog, Jackson, at around 11 a.m. Saturday. Jackson returned to the house, but Niko did not.

While the dog was known to disappear for hours at a time, the family became concerned when it still hadn’t returned home by Monday. Barrett posted missing-dog signs and was contacted by a Standish man who ran a logging operation about a mile from the Barrett home.

The eyewitness reported to Barrett Tuesday morning that he saw the dog shot three times by a hunter and that he had a license plate of the shooter. Barrett called the Standish animal control officer, Jack Freitas, at 9 a.m. Freitas then called game wardens to investigate. Lead investigator Sgt. Tim Spahr is handling the case.

Tori Barrows, reached by telephone at their home in Westbrook, said her husband, who was at work and could not be reached prior to deadline, is distraught over the situation. Her husband said the dog had no collar with identifying tags around its neck.

She said her husband is an experienced hunter and that the dog came toward him and a fellow hunter while they were tracking a deer. Barrows fired a warning shot to scare the dog, but the dog kept approaching, so Barrows shot at the dog.

“My husband has hunted all his life. They thought it was a coyote. It all happened so fast,” she said.

Smith, spokesman for the game wardens, couldn’t confirm whether Barrows reported to investigating officers that he thought he was shooting at a coyote.

“The matter is still under investigation with interviews still taking place,” Smith said.

Freitas, who examined the scene of the shooting, said the incident happened in a clearing and that Barrows was no more than 30 feet away from the dog, probably more like 15 feet, he said. He believes the line of sight was clear enough that Barrows could properly identify the animal.

“I believe someone would know the difference between a coyote and a dog in broad daylight at that distance,” Freitas said.

West, Barrett’s aunt, who also lives at 221 Milt Brown Road and cared for Niko, said Niko wouldn’t have “run up to anyone ever. He likes to play chase and if you come near him, he’ll start running.”

West said the family is stunned by the shooting.

“It’s not like they called the game warden and said, ‘Hey I’ve made a mistake.’ They just left his body there. There was no attempt, according to (the eyewitness), to go over and see her, either.”

Amanda Barrett, who is also distraught over the loss of the family dog, received the dog’s body from wardens early Tuesday afternoon and brought it to a veterinarian to have it cremated.

“At first I thought maybe it was an accident, and I was kind of really upset because they didn’t come forward in the first place,” Barrett said. “And then as soon as the ACO (Freitas) had told me it might not have been an accident because it was within 15 feet, I’m furious. I’m upset. Our family dog is gone.”

Barrett also said the veterinarian who removed the one bullet from the dog said it penetrated the dog’s side, which, she said, indicates the dog was not running toward the hunters.

Barrett said she is considering a civil lawsuit against Barrows.

“We’re definitely going to pursue something further because how would they feel if it was their dog that got shot,” Barrett said. “There are nine people in this household who will miss Niko, as well as six cats who were very fond of him. He leaves behind a very big family who loved him very much.”

Niko, a Siberian husky who broke free of his tether last
Saturday, was shot by a hunter in Standish off Milt Brown Road. A
Westbrook man has been summonsed in the case. (Courtesy photo)

Copy the Story Link