According to Friday's publication of the Mercury News, the two dogs who were allegedly beaten to death with a shovel, by the son of a chicken farmer in Brentwood, Calif., did not die as was initially reported.
By all accounts, the dogs, a German shepherd named "Luke," and a Rottweiler named "Jager," were killed by Jon Christ, son of chicken rancher, Randy Christ, after they attacked poultry at the Christs' Creek Road ranch.
Randy and Jon Christ initially stated that after the dogs began attacking the chickens, Jon beat them to death with a shovel, and then transported their bodies to Christ's workplace, where they were burned and buried.
But a new story has emerged; today, county animal control officials have confirmed that Jon lied about killing the dogs with a shovel in an effort to protect his father from possible charges for firing a gun within city limits.
Randy Christ is the man responsible for the death of Luke and Jager, two dogs who had managed to escape from their owner's fenced yard. The elder Christ used a gun to shoot the dogs; it was not his son who did the killing, nor were the dogs beaten to death.
The truth came out on Thursday after an employee, at the work site where the dogs were taken, discovered the dogs' intact bodies; also discovered were the remains of several chickens.
Though story about the individual who killed the dogs has changed, as has the method of killing, the end result, with regards to possible charges, has not.
In a news release, Animal Services stated:
"It is our belief that these actions by Mr. Christ were legally justified due to the circumstances that existed when he encountered the dogs,"
Prior story on this situation here.
If you would like to continue receiving the latest dog related news, tips and advice, please click the "Subscribe" icon which is located at the top of this column.
It is free and anonymous to sign up For updates and further discussion, follow the National Dog News Examiner on Facebook and Twitter!
I am human; if you see a typo, please let me know. Questions, comments or story ideas can be emailed to Eims1@live.com.
